Partners in Crime
by Amiee.P
Summary: Jennie Smith. Sharp tounged, quick witted and annoyingly smart.    When you're best friends with the Maraunders, life is rarely quiet. And Jennie is just about to find out how hard it gets.
1. Back to School Again

**A/N- Erm, This is my first fanfic! I'm not all that great at the plot line sorta thing that's supposed to go on in stories and now I can tell I'm not exactly good at talking myself up either! Sooo... without further ado, have fun reading I guess! ... hope...**

**Disclaimer – J.K owns it all. Not me.**

10:46am... King's Cross Station, Train will be leaving soon, I'm all ready to go, and Lily's late. Yep, just like every new year at Hogwarts!

But look at me getting ahead of myself here, introductions first.  
>Hi, I'm Jennie Smith: quick witted, sharp tongued and annoyingly smart Gryffindor. As you can tell from that introduction – I don't cushion my words often. If I mean something, I'll say it. If everyone else is thinking it, I'll say it. And if I don't like you, you'll know it.<p>

Right now, I'm going into my fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and attempting to say my goodbyes before getting on the express. My Mum had come to see me off because my Dad and Brother were both at work.

"I'll see you soon love, write often! And try not to get into as much trouble as you did last year..."  
>"Muuum! Gerroff... 'm fine! Honestly! And I promise not to send a Niffler to Alex's office this year." Haa, I'll never forget that... I'm a bit of a prankster and boy do I pay for it, sometimes... Alex is my brother, he's six years older than me and he's a muggle. Infact, me and my father are the only magic folk in our household and being such makes me feel a bit of a responsibility to keep the others safe. Or at the very least, considerably busy clearing up dragon dung (or any other substance I can get in an envelope).<p>

"Yes, it did give him rather a fright... well if you are quite sure you have everything?" Oh here we go... I blanked out for a bit while my mum went through the usual list of just about every item I would never need...

I saw Frank Longbottom saying goodbye to his parents and then going to meet his 'long term' girlfriend Alice Prewett – those two are such a sweet couple... Saw Jake Renn jogging after his brothers cat which had escaped from its basket and was now running straight into a huge crowd of people, Jake's in the year above me and he's basically the guy that everyone loves. He _always _seems to have a ridiculously large group of girls trailing after him too...

"Parchment, scarf, dragon hide gloves..." God, she's still going...

Katie Berring in third year was hugging her little sister who was crying because she wasn't going to see her for another year, sweet. Oh and here they are, I was wondering when they were going to make their 'grand appearence'. Sirius Black and James Potter. Two of the greatest friends any girl could have. James was on Sirius' back and he was giving him a piggy back to the train whilst charming their luggage to fly around dangerously fast in front of them.

"Jennie...Jennie!" Oops, she must have noticed I was never actually listening.  
>"Er, sorry Mum... What were you saying?" I batted my eyelids in a pathetic attempt to defuse any tension that may have built up...<br>"I was saying, where's Teddy?"  
>"Oh right! I thought I'd forgotten something then, Teddy's right h..." I went to pick up my owl's cage. Okay, that's a bit weird... I could swear I bought him with me...<p>

"Looking for something?" Came a smooth voice from behind me. Remus Lupin.  
>"Remus!" I exclaimed throwing my arms around his shoulders, wow he'd gotten tall over the summer... I'm sure I could reach his head last year.<br>"Jennie!" He mocked, briefly hugging me back "Here's your owl" He said, glancing at my Mother, "Look, I'll leave you to say goodbye and I'll catch you on the train okay? Have you seen James and Sirius?"  
>"Yeah, James was on Sirius' back last time I looked. They might have caused a few casualties but it's probably nothing compared to last year."<br>"Riiight, I'd best go 'assess the damage'. Lily's over there by the way, if you were wondering."

He pointed to his left. Towards the prettiest girl in fifth year, her 'just-under-the-shoulder' length red hair shone, even in the dim light of the platform. Her skin was tanned, unlike mine which is so pale that Sirius jokes that he can't look at me in the sunlight because it hurts his eyes. My hair doesn't shine either, it is a dirty blonde colour, tousled and comes down to my elbows doing whatever it feels like when it wants despite the amount of time I spend relentlessly trying to tame it. She was talking to her parents and sister - who was looking like she had dung under her nose. That girl needs sorting out, the sooner the better I say. I'll have words with James...

"Great, thanks Remus! Have fun..." I laughed, he's gonna have a fit when he finds out about their luggage...

He chuckled,  
>"Hmm, I'm sure I will. See you in a bit" He nodded to my Mother, walked off and entered the train at the nearest door.<p>

"Well that seems to be everything. Have fun dear, and please don't cause too much trouble!" She was almost pleading with me! Honestly, anyone would think I was some psychopath who went around destroying everything in my path!  
>"Mum I only play a few pranks; no-one has ever been hurt. Well, unless you count Malfoy but he had it coming..."<br>"That's exactly what I mean, when I open the door expecting the gas man to be calling it's a bit of a surprise to be thrown down the hallway by some man in a cloak raving about how 'his Lucius' has been hurt in some 'dangerous activity' performed by my daughter!"

Oh, so that's what happened... I'd wondered how she'd found out...

"Look, I'm sorry Mum. Really, but I do have to get on the train now!" I had just heard the five minute warning being shouted by a short bald man in bright green robes and started to panic a little, I didn't like cutting things fine.  
>"Right, yes. Well, have a good year love and write soon! Love you!"<br>"Love you too Mum." I hugged her, "And give hugs to Dad and Alex for me!"

I hugged her one last time then picked up my trunk and Teddy's cage and made my way through the mob of parents and siblings shouting goodbyes and throwing forgotten items through the windows of the train compartments. Towards the mass of ginger that was Lily's family.

Well, her mother anyway. Her father had jet black hair, as did her sister. I slowed as I approached them, hoping to get there just as Lily was leaving so as to avoid awkward conversation. I had never been a big hit with her family seeing as on the day we met I had (along with the help of James) set up a brilliant prank for my brother, of course they walked straight into it and ended up with very strong diarrhoea and flu for a month...

"Jennifer Smith"

Dammit. Why do they think my name is Jennifer? I'll show them my birth certificate next time... JENNIE. I put on my cheesiest, most fake smile and said through gritted teeth,

"Mornin' Mr Evans, Mrs Evans" I nodded to each of them as I said their names. "Oh, and you Petunia," saluting casually, (it's a habit that I can't rid myself of; I'm not really sure where it came from. It just sorta... stuck.) "Good summer?" bad move... now they'll start off about their holidays in every country in Europe...

Lily's Dad opened his mouth to start gloating about their cruise from England to Majorca - or wherever they went – but I interrupted, rudely - yes, but needs must.

"You know what, I'll just get Lily to tell me about it later" I looked at her, she'd blushed slightly but then she always does when I'm rude to her parents. "You done here?" I asked, raising one eyebrow.  
>"Uhuh, bye Mum, Dad" She had picked up my habit of nodding to people and had to stop herself as she was just about to tilt her head to her own parents. They hated it, so she went and hugged them instead. "Bye Tuney." She went to hug her sister but was given a dagger glare and retreated rather quickly. Petunia didn't even speak. She just kept her lips pressed together in a tight line which made it look as though she had a little white moustache and goatee beard. I held in my laughter. Now was not the time to be open as usual...<p>

I heard a cooing from down by my leg as we walked to the train and looked towards the little ball of fluff that was, my owl.  
>"Heya Teddy!" said Lily from my left. She always has talked to him like he can actually hear her... Mind you, everyone talks to my owl purely because he is the cutest little thing that ever existed. He's a little scops owl that can fit into the palm of your hand with feathers that fluffed out everywhere instead of being smooth like other owls and his eyes are really big and black. He's surprisingly strong for his size though, James used to take the mick saying that I'd probably have to shrink all of my letters just so he could carry them, but he managed to deliver my broomstick when I forgot it last year. And he also managed to carry a struggling Niffler all the way to London.<p>

"So, good summer Lily?" I asked as we got on the train.  
>"It was alright I guess, the usual holiday; drunks trying to impress people, girls with fake boobs walking around on the beech wearing next to nothing. Seriously I'd rather stay at home and study! How was yours?"<br>"Nah, it was alright. Met up with James and Sirius once or twice – we managed to get thrown out of a muggle restaurant because they thought James was being cheeky when he asked for Pumpkin Juice to drink. Didn't see Remus though, I spoke to him a minute ago, he's gotten tall over summer!"

Infact everyone had grown quite considerably over the summer, I'd noticed that as soon as I'd got on the platform. I felt tiny!

"I don't know why you bother with that lot, I mean; Remus is okay but James Potter really? And don't even get me started on Black!"  
>"Lily, come off it! You only don't like James because he is practically in love with you! And as it happens, I like Sirius! He's a good friend!" I suddenly caught a glimpse of something shining on her chest.<p>

"Lily? Are you a prefect?"

She beamed. Completely changed from the annoyed mood she had taken up when I mentioned James and Sirius.

"Well, yes! I got the letter last week along with my equipment list! I thought you'd get Quidditch captain though, strange, I wonder who did?" Quidditch captain? Yeah, alright I'm on the house team or was until our old captain left anyway. But I had a pretty good idea who would have got it. James.

I didn't divulge this thought to Lily though because I thought she might just explode. Then I remembered something,

"Does that mean you have to go to the prefects' compartment instead of sitting with me?" Lily nodded sheepishly and attempted a grin  
>"Yeah, sorry..."<p>

"It's fine!" I exclaimed, rather too loudly with mock hurt. Changing the tone of our conversation considerably. "Go! I'll just go sit and wallow in self pity at being rejected by my best friend!"  
>"Really?" She asked sarcastically<br>"No, I'll go find the Maraunders." And with that I stuck my tongue out at her and she broke down in giggles.

"Lily, I know I'm a comedy genius and all but that really wasn't funny..." she continued to laugh. I was getting a bit self conscious now because other people had started laughing too. I looked behind me and finally saw what they were laughing at.

James Potter stood there, a scowl on his face, covered from head to toe in what looked like Dragon dung. People were covering their mouths, coughing and gagging as he passed them.

I couldn't help myself.

I laughed.

"Smith, Evans." He said acknowledging each of us with a wave of his hand. Then turning to Lily "Good summer Evans?"  
>"None the better for your asking Potter," Wow, where'd the laughs go? She had a face like thunder. "Go clean yourself up; I might be sick in a minute."<p>

With that she turned to me and said "See you at the feast" then walked off down towards the prefect compartment.

"What's got her wand in a knot?" James asked.  
>"Beats me," I lied, I knew exactly what it was. She hated James. Simple as that. And the fact that he never called her by her first name didn't help at all.<p>

"Shall we go find the others then?" He suggested  
>"Not 'till you clean up" I said moving away from him. He caught on rather too quick.<br>"Gimme a hug!" He exclaimed loudly. And I ran.

**A/N mark 2 - I hope that wasn't too painful for ya'? There's a little way to let me know if you thought it was good or not, maybe you could give it a try? Okay, I won't beg... **

**Chapter 2 may be up soon, depends on the response! -**

**-Amiee :)**


	2. In which everyone gets covered in dung

**A/N - Well, I know I said it depends on the response as to whether this chapter was uploaded or not but I am not and never have been known for being exactly the most patient person on the planet so, yeaahh.  
>A huge thankyou to PrincessDripDrop and mcgonagiggles for putting this story on alert! It makes me so happy to hear anything from readers! <strong>

**Sooo, here's chapter two! Have a nice read :) **

**Disclaimer – I own none of the amazing characters here that you'll recognise. That is, unless you read the last chapter...**

Panting slightly I stopped for a breath and looked behind me. That's strange, I could swear he was there a minute ago, maybe I've lost him. I'm a good runner, I try and go out for a jog at least three times a week and I'm certainly a fast sprinter... No, wait, there he is.

I turned and continued my sprint down the train,_ towards_ the black haired boy who was cheering, and_ away_ from James Potter.

My plan originally was to get inside that compartment and hold the door shut until James decided to go wash, but as I approached I realised that that wasn't happening.

Sirius Black, dark hair carefully untamed, just touching his shoulders and grey eyes sparkling at the thought of another practical joke, stepped out in front of me and grinned whilst he attempted to block my way in hope of getting me covered in dung too. Instead of letting that happen I dived through his legs that were open to stop me from running round the sides.

Before he'd realised what had happened I had gotten up and bolted through the door to the next carriage.

"Wha..! That's not fair!" he yelled. I turned around and stuck my tongue out at him through the window in the door then continued to dart through the crowds of people that had gathered at the sound of Sirius' yell.

When the crowds cleared however, I realised that I was at the end of the train and couldn't move forward any more. Looking back I saw James scrambling up after he'd crashed into Sirius' temporary barricade and panicked.

_Come on, think fast! You'll be covered in dung soon if you don't come up with something soon...  
><em>Yeah, because that really helps doesn't it.  
><em>Hey! Stop talking to yourself and concentrate on the walking pile of manure coming straight at you!<br>_Oh, yeah. Right.

I turned so I was fully facing back where I had just come and I watched James and Sirius get their balance next to each other in the crowded carriage looking at me.

Now it wasn't just James who was covered, Sirius was too after their little collision.

I couldn't think of anything remotely clever or smart-arse to say so I just acted.

I bolted straight at Sirius and James knowing full well that I had a snowballs chance in hell of getting out of this one clean.

People were moving out of the way, obviously wanting to see for themselves the result of my stupidity.

Nosey gits.

But I didn't have much time to think about this because before I knew it, James Potter had grabbed me and pulled me into a bear hug.

Grabbing Sirius and pulling him to the ground behind me so I wouldn't break anything when I fell, I kicked James in the back of the knee and he toppled forwards crushing me briefly before rolling over onto his back so he was on the floor next to me laughing his head off.

"HA! That'll teach you!" I shouted triumphantly at him. He pulled a face of mock anger and began to laugh again.

"OI!" Came a muffled voice from under me and I turned over only to come face to face with Sirius.

I burst out laughing and buried my head in his chest before pulling myself together and saying "Oh, sorry Padfoot. Didn't see you there."  
>"Don't apologise love," He said smirking and winking at me before continuing "how've you been these past few weeks?"<br>"Not too shabby thanks and yourself?" I replied, suddenly realising that our noses were practically touching.  
>"Much better now thanks" he said, winking again "so good to see you again, but can I recommend a different fragrance? Your current one smells rather like, well, like shit."<p>

I laughed and replied "Well, thanks for that advice Pad. I'll take it on board."

I was distracted by a sudden loud cough coming from somewhere above me, I turned my head to see James standing there grinning "When you two are done flirting, I'd quite like to go get changed."

I blushed, I blush easily and it's so embarrassing. I'd just realised that the whole carriage was silent and everyone had been listening to our conversation, we must have looked a sight, covered in dung and in a heap like that...

After getting off of Sirius and helping him up I turned to James grabbed his hand and said, "Come on then Prongs, let's go get you cleaned up!" Sirius seized my other hand and began to skip, yes I said _skip_,down towards the door.

As James and I began joining in with the skipping the carriage broke out into applause and James – not being able to resist a chance to soak up the attention – spun me and Sirius around and began to bow and wave to the other students in the carriage, encouraging us two to join in with him.

The more enthusiastic clappers were little first years who seemed to think that this was the best thing since sliced bread but some older students just clapped along as if they were trying not to look bothered but wanting to congratulate us none-the-less for making another spectacular comeback for the new year.

I recognised a good friend from the crowd, Charlie Lawson. He's in Ravenclaw and we've been friends ever since first year when we were sat next to each other in Transfiguration, and recently I've developed a slight crush on him... Something that James and Sirius will do well **not **to find out about. He was clapping and smiling as though he was impressed but trying not to look it.

"Well, thank you everyone! And can I just say how remarkably clean you're all looking today!" Came James' voice from my right, the whole carriage hushed and then laughed quietly at his last remark. "We hope you have enjoyed the show and rest assured there's plenty more where that came from to last us through the rest of the year! We've been the Maraunders and Smith, over and out!" He waved one last time and we bowed. Then left the carriage.

**~~_Roughly an hour later in the Maraunder's compartment~~_**

"I know this might sound rude but has anyone told you that you smell like crap?"

"Yes Remus, you see James here decided to 'test drive' the prank we had set for Snivellus a bit early. Catching _himself_ in the fall instead of that slimy git."

Oh, so that's what had happened is it? It hadn't crossed my mind that I didn't even know how James got covered in dung in the first place.

"Hey! It wasn't my fault! You told me the buckets were empty!" James cried, stretching out on the seat in our compartment.

"Haha, yeah... I may have told a teensy little lie there Prongs..." chuckled Sirius, grinning sheepishly.

Remus, James, Sirius and I were in a compartment together talking about the events that took place little over an hour ago. It smelt awful, I felt quite sorry for Remus to be honest because the other three of us had gotten quite used to the smell now seeing as we were the ones who - until about half an hour ago - had been covered from head to toe in dragon dung.

We'd cleaned up as best as we could, I'd washed my hair quickly in the sink in the loo compartment and dried it with my wand, resulting in it sticking up in odd places so I looked as though I had just woken up. Then I'd changed into my school robes and bundled my clothes together and thrown them into the bottom of Remus' bag that he'd bought on the train with him.

I was feeling a bit self conscious because the school robes are designed to have clothes worn under them and seeing as my trunk was in the luggage compartment - and I'd only bought my robes with me seeing as I never really thought I'd end up covered in dung - all I had on underneath was Remus' jumper that he'd taken off because it was a hot day.

I'm a heck of a lot smaller than him though so it was more like a dress on me. It covered my 'important areas' but was a V-neck so it came very low on my chest and I was very aware of where Sirius' eyes were pointing.

The compartment itself smelt quite strange because the only thing we had in the way of air freshener was a can of Lynx deodorant I'd bought Remus this summer after I'd unsuccessfully tried to describe a spray can to him last year. Wizard families tend to use more perfumes and colognes.

Anyway, we'd used nearly the whole can on just attempting to get rid of the smell from Sirius, James and I. And the compartment now smelt of a strange mix between citrus scents and dragon poop.

Niice.

After about an hour of general chat, me – unsuccessfully - pleading with James to let me back on the Quidditch team without a trial – yes, I was right about him being made Quidditch Captain, what can I say? I know him too well - and winding him up about his crush on Lily, there came a knock on the compartment door.

We had the blinds pulled down in an attempt to put off anyone who had decided to come and congratulate us on our little show or any first years who wanted their faces signed by 'Smith and The Maraunders' or vice versa.

Sirius – of course – had quite taken to the idea and was just about to write something inappropriate on a little blonde girls cheek when he knocked my leg and I woke from a little nap I'd been taking, only to 'accidently' think he was someone trying to kill me whilst I was sleeping and ('accidently' again) shot a burst of fire at him from the end of my wand, setting his hair alight and causing him to lift up his robes and whack himself round the head with them to put it out.

This made the girls jump a bit because Sirius wasn't wearing any clothes – apart from his boxers – under his robes (his trunk was in the luggage compartment too, but Moony only had one jumper).

He didn't care obviously, being the cocky little git that he is. But he had no need to be ashamed either. His body was perfectly toned and he had a very nice stomach...

Not that I was looking or anything...

But back to the knocking on our door.

"No more screaming fans please." James moaned "We're still recovering from our last mob." He said, looking pointedly at Sirius.

Okay, that was only half true but Remus was still having random attacks of laughter whenever he remembered the look on the little girls' faces when had Sirius bared all. And I was still trying to recover from the initial shock of being woken up and then setting fire to someone's hair and seeing Sirius' in his birthday suit minus a few parts...

"Just shut up Potter and let me in."

It was Lily.

"Lily!" I shouted and shoved Sirius' legs off of my lap - where he'd resolved to putting them when James had had a hissy fit when their feet had touched accidently, saying that Sirius was 'on the turn'.

That made me laugh.

Sirius Black, the ladies man of Hogwarts, on the turn.

Anyway, I shoved his legs down and they made a satisfying crunching sound when they came into contact with the wooden part of the seat, and jumped up to open the door for Lily.

But James beat me to it, shoving me backwards straight onto Sirius' lap and pulling back the door so forcefully that the glass cracked.

"Hey Evans, you alright?" He said whilst running his hand through his already messy hair as if to check that it still looked ridiculous. I could have saved him the trouble.

"Potter, do me a favour and shut up. Hi Jennie, Remus" she nodded to each of us. I waved and Remus smiled and nodded before going back to the book he was reading. And then, as if it was an afterthought "Oh, and you Black." She said with as much contempt as she could muster.

"Alright sweet cheeks?" said Sirius with a grin and a wink.

I hit him.

"Thanks Jennie." She said to me.

Then looking around the compartment said "Urm, aren't you three changed a bit early? And, I know this might sound a bit rude, but why does it smell like dragon dung in here?" She'd gone slightly green and looked as though she might throw up.

"Ahh... over to you Prongs!" I quickly said as I suddenly realised that I was still on Sirius' lap and jumped over to the seat opposite, crushing James' pumpkin pasty in the process.

Sirius leapt over and started to tickle me. I quickly wrestled him off, pushed him back into his seat and signalled to James to begin.

"Well, me and Padfoot over there had set up a 'welcome-back' prank for that greasy haired git in Slytherin." He began but was cut off by Lily –

"James Potter I swear if you've done _anything _to Severus..."

"Nothing ever actually happened to Snivellus, Lil's don't you worry" I cut in before James could go into insulting 'Sev' (As Lily calls him...) but earned myself a death glare from her when I referred to Snape as Snivellus...

"Yeah, because your future husband over there went and set off the whole thing before anyone even turned up!" Sirius chimed in glaring at James.

"Pads, we've been over this one before. YOU TOLD ME THERE WAS NOTHING IN THE BUCKETS!"

Woah... where'd that come from...

"Riiight..." Came the response from Lily, who was still standing in the open doorway. She stepped inside the compartment, scrunched her nose up at a sudden whiff of the stench inside and sat down between me and Remus, who closed the door and quickly repaired the broken glass.

"So if it was _you_ who set the prank off and _you again _that got covered in dung, how'd these two get involved?" she signalled to Sirius and I, who were sitting there grinning at James' obvious embarrassment at being made to sound like an idiot.

I decided that I should probably answer this one seeing as James would probably make even more of a prat of himself.

"Well, after I said goodbye to you after the walking compost heap turned up at the front of the train. It decided it wanted a hug. So I ran away" She was nodding slowly with a disapproving look on her face– obviously at the fact that I'd got involved in this less than half an hour into term. I carried on quickly –

"I was planning on barricading myself in the compartment but then this goon -" I motioned towards Sirius who smiled like a toddler and waved at me "decided that he was on James' team and blocked the hall, obviously forgetting how tiny I am compared to him though because I just jumped through his legs and carried on through to the next carriage"

James decided that he had been quiet for long enough

"Yeah, then you realised that you'd forgotten to take notice of how far down the train you'd gone and found that you couldn't go any further. So you gave in to my amazing charms and threw yourself at me!" He said winking cheesily, then Sirius cut in –

"Get over yourself Prongs, if you'll remember correctly it was me who she ended up lying on after you'd fallen on her" remarked Sirius putting his feet on my knees again.

"Shut up you tards, basically we all got covered in shit and Sirius showed his birthday suit to a couple of first year girls." I said with a final tone and looked at Lily apologetically.

To my surprise she actually giggled. Everyone in the compartment went silent. We were stunned.

"Lily, are you alright?" I asked,

"Yeah, I was just going to ask whether you knew why I had just had to deal with a little blonde girl in first year fainting... guess I got my answer"

And then like it had just come to her "Hang on a minute?" She said, stopping laughing abruptly and completely changing the course of the conversation.

"What?" Remus, Sirius, James and I all said in unison,

"What are you wearing under your robes?" She asked looking as though she didn't really want to hear the answer.

"Wouldn't you like to know" said James with a wink.


	3. Embarrassing moments & violent outbursts

**A/N - Hello! Here is yet another chapter for you people! Don't expect this speed to carry on by the way! I will get the chappies to you as quick as possible but the only reason there is one a day or two at the moment is because I've already written the first five chapters. **

**Anyway, thankyou to Iynn2008 and Twilight-lover106 for putting this story on alert!**

**Oh, I might just say now that I meant to write 'and' in the title instead of putting an '&' but it wouldn't fit... **

**Happy reading! **

**Disclaimer – Nothing. Nil. Nought. Zero. Zilch – That's how much I own.**

"Oi, Jennie. Wake up! You're snoring!" Came the hushed voice of Sirius Black from somewhere to my left.

"Shu'up..." I groaned. Can't people leave me alone in the mornings. I'm freakin' tired!

...

Wait a minute? It's not morning...

And how'd he get in to the girls dormitory?

I lifted my head up slightly only to jump at the sight of two of the biggest eyes I'd ever seen in my life. Realising that they weren't so much abnormally large eyes as James Potters face really close to mine I quickly lifted my hand and poked them.

"OW!" He yelled sitting up, and strangely I heard laughter. Not the sort of laughter you get when you're in a small room with about five other people but the sort you get when you're in a large hall with about five _hundred _other people...

Now wait just a minute...

I sat fully up and looked around.

Crap, now I remember. I was in the great hall and Dumbledore was giving his 'welcome back' speech. I must have fallen asleep in the sorting.

"Mr Potter? Have you something to say?" asked Albus Dumbledore jokingly. This was what I loved about him, he'd drop everything completely if something unexpected happened and he wouldn't care.

James took this opportunity to show off to the fullest extent that he could.

He stood up on the part of the bench next to me that he was occupying and turned to face Dumbledore.

"Well, good evening Professor and co.!" He started gesturing along the staff table as he began what I could tell was going to be a rather 'interesting' speech...

"And a big HI to all my fellow student's, friends and troublemakers."

And then as an afterthought "Oh, and you lot over there." He flicked his wrist lazily towards the Slytherin table as he said this. Earning himself some dagger glares from the stony faced Slytherins and some appreciative laughter and applause from the rest of the student body.

"Now most of you are aware of our little performance on the train" With this he glanced down at me and Sirius who were looking up at him mouthing **what the hell are you doing?**

Then across the table at Lily who I'd made sit with us and who had buried her face in her hands at James' latest stunt.

And finally at Remus who said, quite audibly, "It's your funeral mate" glancing at Lily to show what he meant.

James shrugged and continued.

"I just wanted to inform those of you who are unaware, who the stars of that show were"

Okay, what? He could stand up there and embarrass himself. That's fine by me. But making me stand up there too? I don't think so.

"The two fine heaps of compost were modelled by the dashingly handsome Sirius Black!" Sirius jumped up and waved, eager to get a bit of the attention for himself. The great hall erupted in cheers and screams from girls. Typical. I thought to myself.

"And the stunningly beautiful Jennie Smith!" Oh God, this is not happening.

Yes, it was.

Two pairs of strong arms suddenly grabbed me by the shoulders and yanked me up to stand on the bench in between the waving James and Sirius.

Ah, screw it. I thought.

I waved and smiled along with them until the laughing and applause died down. Even some of the teachers had been clapping. Ha! That was something I could rub in their faces next time I was in detention for a prank!

I tried to sit back down but Sirius had caught on to my intentions and was holding me up by having his arm around my waist so no-one else could see me wanting to get out of the view of the rest of the school.

"And for any of you first years that missed your first dose of maraunder excellence, don't you fret! There's plenty more where that came from!" He continued to shout.

I looked up at the staff table and laughed. You could practically see the teachers dying in their seats as an excited murmur swept over the hall

"We have been the Maraunders and Smith! See you soon!" And with that and a lot more bowing and waving Sirius finally released his grip on me and I fell down into my seat laughing along with the rest of the table.

"Well thank you Mr Potter, Mr Black and Miss Smith and I'm sure we're all looking forward to seeing what you have in store for the rest of the year!" Dumbledore beamed down at us and we all three stood up and saluted him then plonked back down into our seats.

I truly respect that man.

He continued with his speech and I turned to Sirius and asked the question that had been in my mind since he woke me up about 10 minutes ago,

"Sirius?"

"Yes Jennie?"

"Was I really snoring?"

"Yes. Yes you were." He said so sombrely that he might as well have just told me I only had a week to live.

I blushed, "Was it loud?" I asked, not sure whether I wanted to hear the answer or not.

"Yes. It was so loud that the only reason we woke you was because Josh Elran from Hufflepuff shouted asking whoever was snoring to shut up"

I let out a sigh of relief at this. Now I knew he was joking. Josh Elran, one of the quietest, sweetest kids in the whole school, would nevereven _dream_ about shouting anything during a speech, especially not telling someone to shut up.

Lily still had her face buried in her hands and her head laid down on the table. I picked up James' fork and poked her on the top of the head.

She didn't move.

"Remus!" I whispered very loudly so she would hear it. "I think Lily's dead! She's not moving!"

"I'll check for a pulse!" He whispered back, equally as loud and bent down putting his head down on the table next to hers and gently squeezing her wrist as if he was actually searching for a pulse.

"No, nothing." He said in the same sombre tone of voice that Sirius had used a minute ago to tell me that I snored.

"Go away." Came Lily's muffled voice from somewhere under the mass of red hair.

"Ouch." Said James from next to me. "You'll have to do better than that Moony"

Remus started to mutter into Lily's ear so we couldn't hear him.

"What's the betting that he's telling her how much of a prat he thinks James is?" I asked Sirius just loud enough for James to hear.

Lily and Remus continued their hushed conversation until Dumbledore's speech was over. At this point she lifted her head with a grin on her face.

I looked at her searchingly. She returned my look with one of her own, an 'I'll-tell-you-later' sort of look.

I was going to argue with her until she told me but then the food appeared.

I hadn't realised up until now that I was actually starving. I hadn't eaten breakfast because I had been too busy doing my last minute packing and I hadn't had lunch either because at that time I'd been covered in dragon dung.

_**~~After everyone has stuffed themselves full and traipsed off to their dormitories~~**_

"Well, I'm stuffed!" Exclaimed James Potter as he collapsed into one of the comfy chairs by the fire after shooing half a dozen first years up to their dormitories and making sure Lily had the best chair.

Of course.

"Second that!" came Sirius' reply that was stifled with a huge burp.

"EWW! Sirius do you really have to do that when you're right behind me? No, scratch that, when you're in the same room as me?"

That was me.

Sirius was slouched in the chair that I was leaning up against whilst I sat on the floor.

He took this opportunity to attempt to suffocate me with his feet.

I was too quick for him and he ended up crashing his heels together whilst I ran over to squeeze into the armchair with Lily. Actually it wasn't much of a squeeze because we are both so bloody small (even with Lily being a good two inches taller than me), this had – of course – been picked up by the boys years ago and the usual joke had already been thoroughly worn out during the course of dinner conversations (that Lily still hadn't spoken a word throughout)

"So James, Quidditch captain eh?" Said Remus, louder than he usually would in an attempt to drown out the noise of Sirius swearing from the pain in his feet.

I allowed myself a moment to laugh at him before turning back to the conversation in hand.

"Oh yeah, figure I'm gonna be a good one too! The team's not gonna know what hit 'em with my training regimes! We're gonna win this year, trust me!" James was saying.

"Jaaaamesss...?"

"Jennieeeeee...?"

"You know how much you've always loved me?"

"Well, my love's all reserved for a certain redhead unfortunately" He started with a hopeful glance at Lily, who was pretending to revise (_already!)_ for a transfiguration exam that she '_just knew was going to crop up sooner or later'_ but I could see the beginnings of a smile creeping up onto her lips.

"But," he continued "If I had any love left over then yes, I suppose it would be for you." This cheesy statement was accompanied with an equally cheesy smile and wink before he said "Why?"

"Well, seeing as you love me so much? Will you let me back on the team without a trial?"

"No."

"Damn." Oh well, it was worth a shot.

"Hey, Remus?"

"OH MY GOD IT SPEAKS! Screamed Sirius pretending to fall off his chair before the whole thing actually did tip taking him right over the back and into a game of chess that was being played by a group of fourth year boys that got extremely shirty with him.

After the laughter had subsided and Remus and Sirius had righted the chair, sent the fourth years to bed by pretending that Remus was a prefect and James had finished re-enacting the whole thing, Remus answered.

"Yes Lily."

"Is Peter here this year? I haven't seen him around"

Remus was just about to answer when Peter himself flew through the portrait hole head first with his blonde/grey hair flying all into his face and landed on the floor quite hard making a great booming sound.

"That answer your question Evan's?" said James trying to sound as though he didn't want her to reply but eagerly looking over at her all the same.

I couldn't understand him, one minute he was being really sweet towards her and the next he was straight back to calling her by her last name...

Lily ignored this and ran over to Peter to see what had happened. I quickly followed along with Remus.

"Peter, Peter! Are you alright?" said Lily with a worried tone,

"Yeah, 'm good thanks Lil's" came his response.

Lily looked shocked, this was the first time any of the Maraunders – well, apart from Remus – had ever called her by her first name let alone her nickname.

"What happened?" Remus asked,

"Malfoy and Regulus" Were the only words Peter said.

Lucius Malfoy and Regulus Black were always trying to get their own back on us for humiliating them and they usually picked on Peter.

Merely because Peter is not exactly the sharpest tool in the box, he's one of the skinniest, tiniest kids in our year and is a good four or five inches shorter than Lucius and even shorter compared to Regulus.

"They're gonna get it." Came James' voice from behind me, I hadn't realised but him and Sirius must have decided to come over when we didn't pick Peter up laughing.

I stood up.

"Looks like we've got our work cut out then" I said

"My brother's not gonna know what hit him" Sirius stated with the tone of aggression that always scares me a little.

"Now come on, I know they've hurt Peter but can't we just tell McGonagall or have me give them detention or something?"

Oh I was wondering when Lily's common sense would come in to play...

"You, give them a detention?"

It was James.

"God James, for a future husband you don't pay much attention!"

That was me.

"What?" was all James could say,

"Lily's a _prefect_!"

"Seriously?"

"Yes!"

I didn't even register the move. One minute James was standing next to me looking dumbstruck and the next he was being punched to the ground by none other than Lily Evans.

After we had pulled the two of them apart (We being me and Remus because Sirius and Peter were laughing too much) Lily ran straight up to the dormitory but not before pulling a lovely hand gesture in James' direction.

"Nice one mate." Said Sirius pulling James up and then slapping him upside the back of the head.

"What exactly did you do?" was all I could ask,

"I hugged her... or I _tried _to hug her anyway. Man, she's lethal!"

We all slumped into the armchairs once again but this time with Peter taking up Lily's space and me squeezing in next to Sirius.

"That was just kids play. You wanna catch her studying; now _that's _lethal."

Sirius flopped his arm around my shoulders casually, "Ahh, I've missed your little sarcastic remarks Smith."

"How nice Sirius, but as you'll notice my parents didn't go through all the trouble of choosing a name for me just so you could use the one that was inevitable" I said smiling sweetly at him the whole time.

"A fact you'll do well to remember James, that is, if you ever want to be able to talk to Lily without having to employ armed bodyguards" said Remus.

It was only then that I realised how quiet he'd been for the last few minutes.

"If it's all the same to you lot, I'm going to bed. I've not been feeling too good these last few weeks." He continued.

Now he mentioned it, he did look a bit rough.

He was as good looking as James and Sirius with his sandy brown hair that came to just below his ears and slightly muscly build. He was really, really tall too compared to most of the boys in our year. James and Sirius had grown alot over the summer and he was still a good five or six inches taller than the both of them.

But today he had dark circles beneath both of his eyes and he was walking around like he was carrying a bag of flour over each shoulder. I'd ask Lily what was wrong with him later.

"Yeah. Sure. Night! Whatever. Don't have too much fun." Was the general response he got from the rest of us.

As he went up the stairs I got up to go and sit in his empty chair but found myself being held into place by Sirius' previously loose arm.

James, Peter and Sirius continued to chat for ages about the most random things with me just chipping in the odd "Yeah" or adding a nod when a nod was appropriate. I looked over at the big clock that always sat on top of the fireplace. Bloody hell! It was quarter to twelve, we'd been chatting for four hours!

I yawned.

"Someone else needs to go to bed it seems!"

"Yeah, that's a good idea James; I might get to find out how Lily is too if she hasn't already gone to sleep. Night you lot!" I said jumping up from the chair before Sirius had time to tighten his grip again like the last time I tried to move.

"Oh because that makes you feel really loved doesn't it."

"Sirius. What the hell are you on about?"

"You _lot." _

Oh for goodness sake, I'm TIRED. Doesn't he get it?

I sighed "Fine, goodnight James" I went over and hugged him "Peter" I high fived him, I wasn't at 'hugging stage' with Peter yet, not unless he washed his hair soon... then I walked towards the girls dormitory.

"Oh fine."

I turned, smiling in my head. I'd meant to annoy him he's too damn cocky that's his problem.

"What?"

He looked at me with those gorgeous grey eyes and then jumped.

Wait, I didn't just say gorgeous. Not about Sirius Black anyway.

I screamed.

"Sirius! Get off! I can't breathe!"

He had done exactly what James had on the train with the bear hug but in true 'Sirius style' and near enough suffocated me in the process.

He loosened the 'hug' but held me so I couldn't go any further up the stairs.

"Say Goodnight."

"Oh because this is mature." I laughed

"Come on, or you'll have to stay here aaall night, I'm in no hurry to sleep"

I would have just laughed in his face were it not for the fact that Sirius Black was able to stay awake for inhuman lengths of time. He could easily go tonight without any sleep and I knew it all too well.

"Fine, Goodnight" I said, attempting to turn and go upstairs.

"Goodnight Sirius, the greatest, most handsome and sexy best friend in the world who is _definitely _better looking than James Potter whose hair makes him look like a loo brush"

"You can't be serious" I said but just from his expression I knew he was being deadly serious, or as he put it.

"I'm always Sirius" with a wink.

Cocky bastard.

"Just because I'm saying this, _doesn't _mean that it is in any way true. Got it?"

He nodded with that annoying smirk on his face. I knew it wouldn't matter whether I was serious or not and just the fact that I would say it he would consider a personal achievement.

I sighed or 'huffed' would probably be a better term for it.

"Goodnight Sirius, the greatest, most handsome and sexy best friend in the world who is _definitely _better looking than James Potter whose hair makes him look like a loo brush" I recited. "Happy now?" I asked with as much annoyance as I could.

"Very" He said with a huge grin on his face. "Night Jennie!"

"Night Sirius"

"See ya tomorrow Jennie" Peter chirped up

"Night Peter!"

"NIGHT JENNIE!" Came James' voice from across the common room, like he was gonna get up from his comfy chair.

"NIGHT JAMES!" I shouted back.

"OI whoever you are, SHUT THE HELL UP!" Came a muffled and angry voice from one of the dormitories above.

"Oops." I giggled, "Well night then you lot!" I said with a glance at Sirius who pretended to be hurt when I said 'you lot' again.

And with that I ran up to our dorm.

**_~~In the girls dormitory~~_**

Lily was sitting on her bed reading, I knew she wasn't going to go to sleep.

The other occupants of our dorm were all fast asleep though.

Alice Prewett was in the bed farthest away from the door. Her short black hair that usually just came to her chin in a neat little bob was a wild tangled mess spread around her pillow. You could just about see her thin figure underneath the multiple duvets. Alice has the house elves well trained, meaning they give her extra blankets and duvets seeing as she is _always_ cold. And she gives them any gossip from around the castle. You wouldn't believe how much the Hogwarts elves love to hear about the latest argument that Rachel Foyles and Lucie Edgeworth had last Thursday or who Regulus Black's girlfriend is this week.

Molly Prewett (Who liked to state that she was 'in no way _closely_ related to Alice but all pure blood families are intertwined somewhere down the line') was in the next bed along. Molly is such a dear, she'll do _anything _for you if you ask, and I mean anything. Her fiery red hair was tied into two neat plaits so that it wouldn't be tangled in the morning. An extra five minutes she could have in bed, Molly isn't an early riser.

Sophie Hyde, one of the prettiest girls in fifth year was in the bed nearest the door on the opposite side of the room to Lily and me. Her light blonde hair was tied up in a pony tail that when she was standing came down to her shoulders. She was everyone's friend and she didn't seem to know that nearly every boy in the school wanted to date her. The main one being a certain Sirius Black unless it's changed since last year, I very much doubt it.

And finally Stephanie Bliss. Her curly brown hair was loose and was just a mass of tangles framing her tiny face and shoulders. She was the little 'ray of sunshine' in any conversation. Always had a huge smile on her face, heck she was even smiling now! In her sleep. For such a tiny girl, she had a humongous appetite! One that rivalled even James Potters! If I'm not mistaken they have arranged an eating competition tomorrow lunchtime I think, that'll be a good one. They both get so competitive.

"Hey Lil's, what you reading?" I asked quietly so as not to wake the others and in a completely different tone of voice to the one I used to talk to the Maraunders. Caring and calm. I would ask her about the 'James thing' later, I thought. I'll just get on her good side first...

"Oh, just some muggle book that I've had since I was really young" she replied.

I've always loved how she wanted to try and keep in touch with her 'muggle side' as much as possible even though she could have just discarded the whole thought of trying to do things like she would have if she had for some reason or other, not got her Hogwarts letter. I try to follow her example as much as possible but I do find it hard not to just flick my wand and have it all done.

"What's it called?" I asked, I was genuinely interested now. Not just pretending for her benefit like I do whenever she rants on about the great goblin rebellion in Sweden in 1642 or something along those lines.

"Alice in Wonderland." She replied "It's a children's book but it's actually quite interesting"

"Right, what's it about?" I asked. I was going to get to the point soon enough I told myself. But after she's told me this.

"It's about a girl who falls down a rabbit hole and then meets all sorts of wonderful creatures and people, she calls the land 'Wonderland'" She said. "It's a bit immature for a fifteen nearly sixteen year old to be reading I suppose but many muggle adults love the book"

It actually sounded quite interesting...

"Could I borrow it when you're finished?" I asked.

"Yeah, sure!" She replied, looking quite happy at the fact that I wanted to read something that she deemed 'good'.

"So, that whole thing with James down in the common room..." I started, hoping so much that she wouldn't go ape at me suddenly like I've only ever seen her do.

"I overacted a bit didn't I?" She said looking a tiny bit ashamed.

I was startled, was this the beginning of an _apology _about something to do with James? _James?_

"Lily, are you feeling alright?" I asked.

"Oh you're hilarious aren't you?" She said with the beginning of a smile on her face. "I still think James Potter is an arrogant, self centred arse with an ego the size of the black lake, but I'm just saying that I may have overacted slightly."

"Well, don't be too hard on yourself. He's over it already and planning his next move on his 'grand quest' to win you over. I don't see why you don't just give in, I along with the rest of Gryffindor house and dare I say the school know you want to really."

Too far Jennie, too far. I could hear my brain screaming it at me throughout the whole time I was talking and now I braced myself for Lily's reply.

But it never came.

I opened my screwed up eyes and looked at her. She was laughing at me.

"Lily, are you quite sure you aren't going mad?" I asked

"Yeah, I'm sure. It's just that if that's the case then you, the rest of Gryffindor house and dare I say the school are all completely _wrong! _Because I don't and never will want to have a relationship with James freakin' Potter!"

Ouch. I'm glad he wasn't here to hear that.

"Fine, I'll give up on that one." And with that I got up off her bed and started to get changed into my nightshirt.

"Good" She said, putting her book down on her bedside table and sliding under her duvet.

When I had washed my face, cleaned my teeth and attempted to brush my hair which was painful and infuriating but I managed to get all the knots out in the end. Sometimes just something as simple as brushing it makes me want to cut it all off but as annoying as it is, and as up myself as this sounds, I love my long hair. I slipped under my own and could almost feel myself melting into the ridiculously comfy mattress of my lovely Hogwarts bed.

Just as I was about to blow out the candle that was on my bedside table I remembered something.

"Lily?"

"Yeah" came her muffled reply.

"What exactly _did_ Remus say to you at the feast earlier?"

"Oh" She said with a little giggle "It's really sweet actually" She continued giggling a little more.

"Spit it out." I said

"Well, he fancies Stephanie! Isn't it just sweet!" She said with a massive smile on her face.

"Yeah it is" I grinned back.

"Night then Jennie" She said

"Night Lil's" I replied.

As I drifted off to sleep that night, the only thing that was going through my head was.

_Aww!_


	4. Letters, Timetables and Revenge

**A/N – Hey, dudes! Thanks to TheDevilsDaughter267, starshine44, PhoenixHeart13123 and Mehan-Smith for putting this story on alert or favouriting or Reviewing! Yes, I got my first review! A big thankyou to PhoenixHeart13123 for that, and I now have an idea for a plot twist, chapter six will be the start of that so I'm hoping it will be alright!**

**Happy Reading! :)**

**Disclaimer – How I wish I could own these characters, but I don't.**

"Jennie, get out of the bathroom! I need a shit!"

Oh, how nice. Of course it was okay for Alice to take hours in the shower but if I'm in there for over five minutes...

"How bloody ladylike Alice" I replied, "I'll be about five minutes, let me just wash my hair!"

"You shouldn't have so much of it! Chop it all off like me!"

Yeah, like that was gonna happen. My hair might annoy me to no end but I love it none the less, rather like James, or Sirius...

I continued my shower ignoring all of the persistent shouting from Alice. The others might wake up soon if she didn't shut up.

Alice is an early riser; she's usually awake when I get back in from my run.

Yeah I'm mad enough to wake up at 5:00 am just to do some exercise...

I got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around me then opened the bathroom door and smacked Alice straight in the face with it.

"OW!"

"What are you doing standing so close to the door!"

I didn't get an answer of course because as soon as I left the bathroom she ran in and locked the door to do her 'business'.

As I started to get dressed into my uniform the others began waking up.

Lily was muttering and cursing under her duvet.

Sophie was yawning and trying to find her glasses with her eyes closed.

Stephanie was wondering aloud what was for breakfast and probably smiling somewhere under the mass of brown hair that covered her face.

And Molly was snoring.

"Morning Lil's"

"Mornin'." Was the half hearted reply I got from under the heap of pillows and duvet on Lily's bed.

"I'm going to go and send a letter to Alex if that's alright with you? I'll see you at breakfast right?"

"Uhuh."

It was still an hour and a half until breakfast even started and even longer till lessons so I decided that I didn't have to rush to the Owlery.

**_~~On the Hogwarts grounds~~_**

It was cold this morning.

I hadn't noticed when I'd been running because I was warm anyway but now I was shivering as I walked over the grounds towards the Owlery.

"Hey Jennie! What're you doing up so early?"

I turned to see who else was mad enough to be up and out at this hour. Charlie Lawson.

"Hiya Charlie! I was just going to send a letter to Alex and the olds, wanna come?"

"Yeah, sure. We needed to catch up sometime anyway; I haven't seen you in ages! That thing on the train yesterday by the way, brilliant."

I could feel myself blushing even though he hadn't actually complimented _me_.  
>I hate the fact that around everyone else I can be completely normal and I can say witty things but around Charlie I just act like an idiot.<p>

"Haha, thanks. It was a bit unplanned, I was trying to at least get through the train journey without getting too messy... didn't happen."

"Well, you can kind of expect that when you're friends with the Maraunders"

Why did he _always _have to be the voice of bloody reason? He has so much common sense. I wonder why some of that can't be transferred to me, I have none. At all.

As we entered the Owlery I was immediately attacked by my owl.

"Ow, Teddy go away!" I searched my pockets quickly "Dammit, I forgot to bring any food!"

One thing about my owl, he may look all cute and cuddly but if you expect him to take any letters for you then you'd better bring food. Or he isn't going anywhere, he's stubborn like that.

Stubborn and greedy.

"Here, I have a bit of pasty left over from yesterday" He reached into his satchel, pulled out a half eaten pumpkin pasty and threw it at Teddy.

"Thanks"

He went over and started to pet the other owls while I wrote my letters.

_Dear Mother and Father,_

_I arrived safe and well and am keeping up the running, don't you worry!_

_The train journey was pretty uneventful and dinner was very lovely, the sorting went well and we got some really nice kids in our house. _

_Dumbledore's speech was just as interesting as ever and I hung onto his every word._

_Father, just as you wanted I am staying well away from James and Sirius and I certainly shall not be planning any pranks or tricks on Regulus and Lucius anytime soon._

_Mother, I hope you see Father soon and that he isn't too hard on you and Alex. I know he won't read this letter anyway but still. Meet up with Sarah soon because I think she might have a surprise for you! Happy Birthday for next week, you already got my present but thought I might say it anyway._

_I know it's a bit early but I don't think I'll be home for Christmas if that's alright with you, I think I'll stay at school this year because I have to study. _

_Alright, I'll write soon!_

_Love you both, Mum._

_Jennie. Xxx_

Right, that's the lies over.

As you can probably tell from that letter, my parents don't really know what goes on in my life.

I'd better ask someone about the kids in our house though, just in case they decide to ask who.

My Dad, the other wizard in the family isn't really the Daddy type. Don't get me wrong, he's a great father but he just doesn't do the cuddles or keeping in contact stuff...  
>He doesn't see my Mother much either. He has an apartment in London that he stays in so he doesn't have to travel too far to the Ministry, complete rubbish of course. He could apparate! She's more of a trophy piece to be honest, something that he gets out for special occasions to show off to his friends.<p>

She's a beautiful witch my Mother, but she just lets Dad walk all over her. That's why I organised for her friends to take her to a show in London, she doesn't get out much.

I glanced over at Charlie; he was still petting the other owls. I giggled to myself when one particular owl got annoyed and bit his hand. This was made even funnier when Charlie registered the pain and began waving his hand around franticly.  
>He's good looking enough, with his dark brown hair that's always a mess and his coffee brown eyes. He's tall but not reaching Remus' height just yet, and he's not all muscles like James and Sirius either but he's well built.<br>He also has massive hands. Something that I never fail to tease him about. The weird thing is, I find them strangely attractive...

Right, now for Alex's letter.

_Dear Alex, _

_Alright? How's everything going?_

_You're gonna love the story I've got for you about what happened on the train yesterday. The Maraunders are back!_

_How's work? Is that bloke still giving you trouble, send him my way if he is. I'm sure we could rustle up a little something to see him through to Christmas..._

_Talking of Christmas, I take it you won't be going home. If you're not could I come and stay with you? I don't fancy seeing the folks sooner than I have to. _

_Sorry about that Niffler again, but the look on your face was priceless..._

_See you soon I hope!_

_Jennie xx_

_P.S. Remember to feed Teddy, otherwise he might bring another Niffler of his own accord..._

At least I don't have to lie to him, he's brilliant my brother. Never there but always there if that makes any sense.  
>I have a laugh with him and he thinks that the Maraunders are the best thing to happen since I bombarded Dad with homing water balloons when I was seven...<p>

"You done?" Came Charlie's voice from behind me.

I jumped. I had completely forgotten he was there.

"Yeah, I think so" I blushed again... I'll have to slap myself later.

"Uh, Jennie? Are you sure your parents are gonna like this letter?"

How had he managed to read that?

"Yeah, they'll be fine. Dad doesn't read them anyway, but then again, it'll just be my luck that he'll read that one." I shrugged, it didn't matter.

He laughed, "Fair enough, go on then. Get them sent"

After five minutes of wrestling with Teddy and ending up having to hold him upside down by the leg to get the letter attached. I paid for that one, in blood... Stupid owl.

"Have fun!" I said as he got ready to fly out.

He bit my nose.

"Right then, you hungry?" I called over to Charlie.

"Wha-? Oh right, yeah, I'm starving! Your owl just ate my pasty!"

"You gave it to him." I pointed out,

"I'm only joking, come on then. Breakfast!"

I glanced at his watch as I took his outstretched hand, breakfast didn't start for another hour.

"We have an hour 'till breakfast even starts!" I groaned, I could feel my stomach rumbling.

"How about we go on a walk? Take your mind off food?" he suggested

"Charlie. It's freezing."

"You can have my coat."

"Fine." I said, frowning. I should never get up this early, it makes breakfast too late.

"Smile?"

"No."

"Why?"

"I'm hungry."

"Well you could've had a pasty if your owl wasn't such a bloody maniac."

"Oh shut up."

I smiled.

"That's better! Now, let's go!" and with that I pulled on his coat which was more like a tent on me... Why do these boys all have to be so bloody big?

_Actually, it's you who's the small one.  
><em>Shut up.

And he dragged me out of the Owlery and into the cold, cold air.

**_~~A while later, on the bed of the Black Lake~~_**

I picked up a stone and threw it.

"That was pathetic!"

"Oh thanks Charlie, go on then. Let's see if you can do any better."

Halfway through our walk we had reached the black lake and had decided that we were going to have a stone throwing competition.

I was actually quite good at throwing, being a chaser helps alot because as well as having to throw the ball constantly, our last captain had made all three chasers work out our arms constantly. It was annoying at the time but I was grateful for it now, especially with my visible muscles that were very helpful for scaring Slytherins in fights.

Of course, my throws were nothing compared to Charlie's. What with him being a beater for the Ravenclaw team, and a boy.

His stone flew through the air and splashed in the water a good ten metres further in than mine had.

"See, told you yours was pathetic." He said, sticking out his tongue.

"Not fair, you're a boy!" I replied

"And? I've seen your arms, you can't tell me that you find throwing difficult!"

"Fair enough, you asked for it" I said. I took off his coat, laid it on the ground, grabbed a nice, smooth pebble and walked away from the lake bed.

"What _are_ you doing?"

"Taking a run up"

He laughed

"Laugh all you want Lawson but you'll stop once I beat you."

"Oh I can't wait to see this" He chuckled.

I stopped, turned and ran. As I got to the lake I raised my hand brought it back and released the stone as I brought it forward.

It sailed right over where my previous one had landed and carried on going until it was level with the ripples caused by Charlie's and plopped into the water.

"Well that wasn't exactly the clear victory I was hoping for but I reckon I still beat you." I said to him.

"What! No way, mine was clearly ahead of yours!"

"No, mine definitely went further."

"How about we say we're equal."

"Aw, but then I can't rub it in your face that I'm more amazing than you"

"You don't need to rub it in my face, I already know."

I blushed, worse than I had all morning.

"That was cheesy wasn't it?" He asked

"Yeah, just a little."

He laughed, "So, you wanna go to breakfast now?"

"Yeah, I think my stomach may eat itself if we don't."

"Come on then" He said, holding his hand out.

We walked up towards the castle and we were just approaching the entrance hall doors when Charlie stopped.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, um Jennie?"

"Yes"

"You know there's a Hogsmeade weekend coming up?"

"There is? How do you know that? We've haven't even been here for a day yet."

"Well, I don't know but it's a good guess considering they have them at the same time every year."

"Oh yeah, right." I grinned at him embarrassed, what's up with me? I never get embarrassed!

"Well, are you going with anyone? I mean have you got any plans? I mean you're not going with the Maraunders or Lily or the girls or anyone? Because if you are that's alright I guess. I was only wondering I suppose."

"I'm sorry Charlie but I didn't understand a word of what you just said"

He took a really, really deep breath.

"What I mean is, do you want to come to Hogsmeade with me, like, as in a date?"

"You're so weird," I laughed

"What? Is that a no?" He asked, looking slightly worried

"No! No, I'd love to go to Hogsmeade with you! Honestly! It's just, who else asks someone out to something that they don't even know when it's happening!"

"Oh right, yeah. So you'll come?"

"Of course I'll come!"

"Great!" He hugged me and then we walked into the Great Hall and he went to the Ravenclaw table whilst I picked out Lily from the Gryffindor one.

Molly was hugging a redheaded boy whose name I should know considering he's in my house and my year. Arnold Weasley I think?

"You got her up then?" Was the first thing I said to Lily when I got to her, gesturing towards Molly.

"Yeah, her and Arthur are looking pretty cosy, have been all morning. It's annoying really"

Oh that's his name, Arthur. I knew that...

"McGonagall's giving out our timetables, but she's doing it in year order so we'll be here for ages. What're you smiling about?"

I hadn't realised that I'd had a stupid soppy grin on my face for the last five minutes. I wiped it off quickly and replied –

"What? Oh, nothing" Knowing that she wouldn't believe that. I'm a good liar, but I can't lie to Lily. It's annoying really, it would come in handy.

"Come off it Jennie, you took two hours to write and send two letters"

"They were, uh, long letters. Emotional"

"To _your _parents?"

"Yeah, alright. Don't rub it in."

"Where were you then? Who were you with?"

I raised my eyebrows.

"Don't look at me like that"

"Alright, calm down!" I lowered them.

"So?"

"So what?"

"Don't avoid it."

"Avoid what?"

"You know exactly what"

"Miss Evans, your schedule for this year" Ha! Dear 'ol Minnie coming to my rescue as she has many times before.

"Thankyou Professor"

"Oh, and congratulations on becoming prefect for Gryffindor house."

"Thankyou Professor"

Poor Lily, she goes quiet around teachers. She has too much respect.

"Miss Smith, your schedule"

"Aw, thanks Minnie! You shouldn't have!"

"Now, Miss Smith." She lowered her voice "I know I shouldn't be saying this but if you don't get yourself back on that Quidditch team this year then I _will _be giving you a week's worth of detentions"

Okay. I was sitting there in a stunned silence when James turned up.

"Don't worry about that Minnie, she's already been asking to get in without a trial! Like I'm going to be letting standards slip like that! An abomination it would be! I don't think she'll have a problem getting on though, I've seen the bunch of prats that are planning on trying out this year. It won't be a long trial."

"Mr Potter! I'll thank you to be a little more civil when talking about your fellow housemates! Take your schedule." She thrust a piece of parchment in his face and strode off to continue issuing timetables.

I looked down at my timetable for today and groaned. It wasn't good.

_**Timetable for Miss Jennie Smith.**_

_**Fifth year.**_

_**Gryffindor house.**_

_School day to start at 9:00 am and finish at 4:30 pm._

_Monday_

_9:00 am - 11:00 am: Double Potions with Slytherin house_

_11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Transfiguration with Hufflepuff house_

_BREAK: 12:00 pm – 12:30 pm_

_12:30 pm – 1:30 pm: History of magic with Hufflepuff house_

_1:30 pm – 2:30 pm: Astronomy _

_LUNCH: 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm_

_3:30 pm – 4:30 pm: Defence against the Dark Arts with Ravenclaw house_

I looked over at Lily who was sporting the exact same look of painful disbelief as I and many of our fellow housemates were.

"Well, well! If it isn't my favourite little midget!" Came a loud voice from behind me, "Why're you looking so glum?"

"Hi Sirius," I said "And the reason we're looking glum is because we just got given our timetables"

"Jeez, what's so bad about them?" He replied just as McGonagall swooped in from no-where and shoved one in his face.

His smirk quickly disappeared as he read through the schedule for today and he looked as though he might cry.

"Double Potions" He whispered, "With Slytherin" A little louder "DOUBLE FREAKIN' POTIONS WITH SLYTHERIN!"

Okay, he yelled that one.

People were laughing, and staring.

I sat him down and poured him some pumpkin juice while he recovered from his 'shock'.

The laughter died down and everyone went back to their breakfast.

"Hey Jennie, I'm going back to the dorm to get my bag and books. I'll see you in Potions. And don't think you're getting away with not telling me, I will find out." Said Lily, just as I sneezed and spilt pumpkin juice in Peter's cornflakes.

"Yeah, alright. Enjoy your last few moments of freedom." I replied waving her off.

"So Padfoot, good sleep?" I asked as I sat down opposite him after jumping over the table.

"Yeah, it was alright. You?"

"It was good, yeah."

James sat down next to me and Remus plonked into the empty space between Peter and Sirius.

"Good Morning lovely people!" James declared.

"Mornin' James"

"Hey, Prongs" Were the replies he received from Sirius and me.

"Hi guys" Greeted Remus

"Hi Moony"

"Heya Remus"

"So," Began James, his voice suddenly business like and stern. "What're we gonna do about Malfoy and the turd"

'The turd' is how James likes to refer to Sirius' brother Regulus. It's an immature way that he uses to express his absolute hate towards the guy.

"That's a nice way to refer to your best friend's sibling James" I said

"He likes it!" James defended

"Who, Regulus? Or Sirius?"

"Does it matter?"

"No, not really"

"Exactly. Anyway, what're we gonna do about them? I'm not having them beat up little Pete' over there and get away with it!"

"Hang on just one minute; I'm not getting involved in this. I'll help you with any problems but I'm not doing anything harmful. I just wanna eat my breakfast."

"Yeah, alright Moony. You eat up, and we'll plan around you" Said Sirius "I think we should just hit them, be a bit different?"

James was up for this idea too.

Boys.

"Why don't," I started, trying to make it sound like I'd spent a long time thinking about this, well I had. It had been on my mind as a possibility since last year and now seemed like the perfect opportunity.

"Why don't what?" They both asked in unison.

"Why don't we do what all Slytherins hate and show a bit of Gryffindor spirit in Slytherin house?"

"Jennie, what the hell are you talking about?"

I explained my idea to them as we got up from the Gryffindor table and began our walk to the dungeons.

To hell.

To potions.

**_~~At the end of a lengthy and enthusiastic description of Jennie's plan~~_**

"That has gotta be, one of the best ideas for a prank you've ever come up with." James complimented

"Aww, thanks Prongs!" I replied, grinning.

"I've gotta say Jennie, even though I don't always approve of your involvement with these two prats, that _is_ good." Remus smiled down at me.

"That's really gonna piss alot of people off." Began Sirius, "I'm proud my little midget!" he finished putting his arm around my shoulders and laughing.

"Thanks guys!" I beamed up at them.

Malfoy and 'The Turd' aren't gonna know what hit them.

**A/N - I thought I might just say. 'The Turd' yes, it is **_**very **_**immature and yes, it is **_**very **_**strange but I wrote that part at about 11:00 at night and it made me laugh so much when I read it through the next morning that I decided to keep it in!**

**-Amiee :)**


	5. Not a good day to be a Slytherin

**A/N - Heyy guys! I wasn't going to post this chapter for like, ages but then I finished the next one so I thought I would :) **

**A big thankyou to hikachan3 and IFeelLikeDancinTonight for putting this story on alert or whatever you guys did with it, it means alot :)**

**Well, that's all Happy Reading :)**

**-Amiee :)**

**P.S. I thought I might just apologise for the ridiculously long chapter... I didn't realise until I was putting it up and I'm far too lazy to change anything now... Sorry!**

**Disclaimer – I own nothing... sad****ly.**

_Add the moondew and asphodel. _Done, right, what's next?

_Slice the Valerian Roots into equal pieces. _Valerian Roots? Uh, I haven't got any of those...

"Oi, Moony!" I whispered to the desk to my right, "You got any Roots?"

"You forgot them didn't you?" Remus replied looking unsurprised.

"Yes, now do you have any or what?"

"Luckily for you, I do." He said emerging from his bag holding some roots.

"Thanks Remus! You're a life saver!" I whispered and smiled at him.

"Miss Smith please shut your mouth or you will be disqualified from this examination." Came the deep, booming voice of Professor Slughorn from the front of the classroom.

I shrugged and turned back to my own potion which was bubbling dangerously fast and had already dissolved one ladle.

Yeah, that's right he said examination.

Slughorn's the only teacher that would ever give us an exam on the first day back.

Because he's evil.

Well to me anyway, he loves Lily and Remus.

And James...

Even Sirius...

But then, they're all good at potions. Never mind how much James and Sirius disrupt his lessons he still adores them.

Lily and Remus are in 'The Slug Club' and James and Sirius are always being invited to his little meetings. They don't go but he _still _loves them...

"Aw crap!" I suddenly yelped.

My potion had eaten its way through the side of my cauldron and was now dripping onto the floor where it gathered into one big blob and shot off at the far wall of the dungeon ricocheting off of the desks and students on its way.

Slughorn got up and began chasing the blob of potion waving his wand at it and shouting 'Impedimenta!"

This went on for some time until my potion decided it was tired and settled down on the head of a member of the Slytherin Quidditch team resolving to burn off all of his hair instead of shooting off of the walls.

With a wave of Slughorn's wand the potion was vanished and the boy sent off to the hospital wing with a spectacularly shiny head.

While Slughorn cleared up the dungeon and tried to regain control of his classroom James came over to my desk with Sirius and Lily tailing after him.

"That... was... bloody... brilliant!" James managed to say between laughs.

"You just get better every year little one!" Joined Sirius, pulling up a stool and completely missing it as he sat down and ended up on the floor.

"Who's little now?" I laughed and pulled him up, "Anyway, I didn't mean to do it. The potion just sort of... came alive..."

"Well that was the best accident that ever happened then" Came Remus' voice from behind me. "Mulciber won't be out of the hospital wing for two weeks. It takes about that long for hair to re-grow. I'm taking it you won't be needing these any more then?" He continued, holding up the Valerian roots and grinning.

"Yeah, take them back" I said, "Remind me to order some from the Apothecary will you?"

"Sure"

I saw Lily looking at me with a dumbfounded look on her face.

"Uh... I didn't mean to?" I tried.

"You really need to pay more attention when he's talking Jennie." She giggled and hugged me before continuing, "But at least Mulciber's away for a while"

"Miss Smith. Come here please." Came Slughorn's voice from his usual spot at the front again.

"Oh great... What's the betting I'm in detention tonight then?"

"If you're not, I'll give you a piggy back ride to all your lessons tomorrow" Sirius said,

"Done" I replied before slowly dragging myself to Slughorn's desk.

"Alright Professor?" I began before being cut off –

"Miss Smith, how many times did I specifically say at the beginning that you must put the Moondew in immediately after the Asphodel?"

"Erm... lots?" I tried.

"Precisely seven, Miss Smith. And what did you do?"

"I dropped it on the floor and had to get some more Sir."

"How long did it take you do put the new Moondew in Miss Smith?"

I felt like hitting him for being so patronising but I resisted the temptation and settled for -

"Is it important?"

"The exact time isn't important Miss Smith! What I'm getting at is the fact that you did not put it in immediately!" He shouted.

The class went silent.

Great.

"Woah, calm down!" I said before I could stop myself.

"Detention Miss Smith. Lunchtime. My office. You'll be making this whole potion again and again every lunchtime until you get it right."

"Yes Sir." I replied and turned to walk back to my desk

"Oh and Miss Smith –" I spun around to face him again. "We still have an hour left of this lesson, don't make any more mess."

"Got it."

As I got back to my cauldron I saw Sirius looking beaten.

"What?" I said, with a tone of annoyance.

"I have to give you piggy backs to all your lessons tomorrow now!" He said with mock disbelief.

"Ha! Don't be so quick to bet next time then" I replied, my spirits lifting.

"Back to your seats now class." Slughorn called "I have some arranging to do"

Sirius, James and Lily trudged back off to the other side of the dungeon whilst Remus took his usual seat next to me.

"Right, for the next assignment and for the rest of the year I shall be putting you in pairs."

Oh great, now I'll end up being perved on by some slimy Slytherin for the whole year.

"These pairs will not be of mixed house, following the events of last year,"

That had been funny, Sirius had been put with his brother and James with Lucius. In short neither had a pleasant time.

"You will be put with someone from your own house"

Thank goodness, maybe I might enjoy potions this year after all.

"The pairs are as follows, Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black. Bellatrix Black and Severus Snape. James Potter and Peter Pettigrew." He paused,

"Actually Mr Potter I think you would be better suited with someone a little less likely to encourage misbehaving. Mr Potter you shall be paired with Miss Evans"

Lily's face dropped and she looked possibly murderous as James' face lit up and he turned to wink at her.

"Mr Pettigrew you go with Miss Hyde" Peter's face dropped as he glanced at Sophie, then at Sirius who looked disappointed. I was right then, he did still fancy her.

"Arthur Weasley and Alice Prewett. Molly Prewett and Frank Longbottom. Remus Lupin and Stephanie Bliss." He continued, I saw Remus' face brighten as Slughorn said Stephanie's name along with his.

"Regulus Black and Rodolphus Lestrange. Sirius Black and Jennie Smith."

I laughed. Slughorn wanted me to calm down and focus so he pairs me with Sirius? He just doubles the amount of messing around I do!

Sirius bounded towards me and put his hands on my shoulders, grinning mischievously.

"Y'all right midget?" He said.

"I'm good Pad, now shut up for a minute so we'll hear where our desk is"

"Gryffindors, you're on the left-hand side of the dungeon Mr Longbottom and Miss Prewett, your at the front." I heard a groan from Frank, no-one wants to be at the front with Slughorn teaching. He's a nightmare.

"And going backwards from them are Miss Prewett and Mr Weasley, then Mr Pettigrew and Miss Hyde." Peter gave Sirius an apologetic look and followed Sophie off to their desk behind Alice and Arthur.

"Mr Lupin and Miss Bliss along with Mr Potter and Miss Evans are on the large desk behind them." James grinned and 'escorted' (shoved) Lily towards their desk while Remus laughed and allowed Stephanie to go to the desk before him.

How gentlemanly. I had a feeling Sirius wasn't going to be quite like that.

"Miss Smith and Mr Black, you're at the back. As far from me as possible." Said Slughorn.

"Ouch." Commented Sirius

"That was blunt." I giggled, "Come on then. We don't want to be too near."

I plonked down onto my seat and got ready to be bored to death by an hour of Slughorn's rambling.

* * *

><p>Almost an hour later I was being poked and elbowed by Sirius who was looking almost dead in his seat.<p>

"Whadd'ya want?" I mumbled.

"Take down the homework notes"

"Take down your own notes!" I replied.

"We have to do it together, take down the notes"

"What's the point? It's not like we're gonna do it."

"The point is he's checking for notes and if we don't have any then he's keeping me for detention as well as you"

"Fine. Gimme your quill, mine got dissolved."

Slughorn had written down the assignment on the blackboard for us to copy down.

_Between you and your partner: _

_Write an essay on the uses of a Bezoar - fifteen inches long. _

_Write an essay on the effects of The Draught of Living Death and how to prevent them. _

_Brew a vial of Felix Felicis. Instructions to be found in chapter twenty four of Advanced Potion Making._

"And Miss Smith, I recommend that Mr Black is present when you attempt this potion. It may prevent a death."

I hate him.

* * *

><p>"Food. Give me food." Stephanie was moaning as the last few torturous moments of Astronomy dragged by.<p>

"It's alright Steph, we only have two minutes left. Then you'll get your food" Reassured Remus from her side.

"Those two've been getting on really well today haven't they?" Said James from my left.

I just replied with an "mmm." I know something he doesn't but I'm not telling.

Remus is really good at the whole 'flirting without being obvious' thing, Stephanie and him are getting on like a house on fire.

The bell went for lunch and there was a sudden loud crashing sound.

It seemed that Sirius had fallen asleep at his desk and woken with a start at the bell causing him to crash to the floor after losing balance on his stool.

"Is it lunchtime?" Was the only thing he could say.

* * *

><p>It was fish for lunch. Eugh.<p>

I piled my plate high with chips instead and sat down with Lily and James. Soon to be joined by Sirius. And later Remus and Stephanie, who had so much food on her plate that she wouldn't have to eat for a week.

"So Jennie, where were you this morning?"

I am going to kill her.

"I was sending letters"

"You took two hours"

"They were long letters"

"Don't start this again. Where were you? Who were you with?"

"Go on, spill the beans midget!" Sirius chimed in, spewing potato over us.

"I was at the Owlery!"

"For two hours? What were you doing? Snogging Teddy?"

"Ew! Sirius! I'd rather snog you!" heh... that came out wrong.

"I wouldn't mind snogging you either Jen but that'll have to wait until you tell us who you were with!" Sirius winked at me.

"Will you guys shut up? Anyway, if you look behind you then I think you'll have your answer." Said James. He's been grouchy since break when we were climbing the tree by the lake and he fell and smacked his head.

Sirius turned around and choked on his pumpkin juice. "Lawson? You were with Lawson?"

I hit him on the back and turned around to face Charlie. "Ignore him, he's always like this."

"Right, I was just wondering whether you wanted to go for a walk or something?"

"Yeah, I'd love to. One moment and I'll clear this up." I said motioning to my plate.

I overheard some Hufflepuffs wondering aloud why Slughorn wasn't at the high table and suddenly remembered something.

"Shit! I'm supposed to be at Slughorn's detention! Oh God, he's gonna kill me! Charlie I'm so sorry, I have to go. See you all next lesson!" And with that I sprinted up the great hall.

I could hear someone jogging after me and I slowed to see who it was as I got to the entrance hall.

Charlie.

"You're in detention, already?" Was the first thing he said to me.

I retold the story of the solidifying potion and Mulciber's head. And once he'd stopped laughing Charlie replied.

"Well, come on then. You don't want to be any later."

"You're coming?"

"Might as well, it's the only walk I'm getting with you." He grinned.

"Fair enough."

* * *

><p>"Miss Smith, you are ten minutes late."<p>

"Yeah, I forgot."

"Right, well get brewing then. If you have not produced an acceptable potion by the end of lunch, and by that I mean something that actually stays in the cauldron, then you shall be back here tomorrow."

I trudged over to my desk, luckily for me, Slughorn was supplying the ingredients.

Halfway through brewing the potion I glanced over at the window. I saw my reflection looking back at me and had to take a second glance, my hair –already a mess- had frizzed and tangled up even more than it usually did as a result of me running my fingers through it multiple times.

But in the end it paid off, Slughorn was actually surprised at how well I did and let me go five minutes early. With a –

"Well that seems to be a satisfactory effort Miss Smith. You would just about scrape an 'Acceptable' grade in your OWL's. I'm sure you're proud."

I didn't bother replying to that, and stepped through the door making sure to slam it as hard as I could on the way out.

Charlie had gone, probably shooed off by a teacher.

Maybe if I get to the hall quick, I can get some pudding.

I jogged up the stairs to the entrance hall just as the bell for lesson five went, quickly ran into the great hall and grabbing a banana from the table as the other food was fading away, then made my way to the only lesson that looked promising today.

Defence Against the Dark Arts.

* * *

><p>Professor Shiver, my favourite teacher in the school, burst out of his classroom ten minutes late for the start of the lesson with his hair sticking up oddly on one side as if he'd just woken up.<p>

He's young for a teacher at Hogwarts, late twenties/early thirties sort of age. Most of the teachers here are ancient, or dead – Binns. With slate grey hair and a stubbly beard he doesn't look like any of the other teachers here either.

"Sorry guys, I dozed off. Go on then, line up and then you can come in and sit wherever you want. James and Sirius, make sure you have someone between you two, I nearly got fired last time you sat together."

One thing I like about Professor Shudder is that he calls us by our first names, he tries to treat us like equals because it's the only way to not get hell from us.

"Oi, Jennie!"

I looked in the direction of the voice and saw Charlie waving at me from the back of the line.

I went over and lined up behind him.

"What's up?"

"You wanna sit with me?"

"Yeah, alright. Somewhere near the back? I don't like being in front of people."

"Wherever you like love." He laughed.

Then blushed.

I allowed myself a little moment to feel proud that it was him blushing not me this time and then proceeded to follow the rest of the class into the classroom.

It turned out that Sirius and Remus had sat together with James and Peter in front of them. They had also seemed to realise my absence and saved me a desk behind them which I took, dragging Charlie with me.

"Alright Lawson?" Sirius whispered turning around to face us.

"Yeah 'm good thanks Sirius, you?" Charlie replied

"Just peachy." Sirius finished with a tone that really didn't reflect what he said, and turned around to follow Remus' gaze off in the direction of where Sophie was sitting with Stephanie.

"He doesn't like me does he?" Charlie whispered awkwardly,

"I don't really know what's gotten into him. I think it's kinda the 'older brother' type thing he's got going on. He'll get over it." I replied whilst rooting around in my bag to find my books and wand.

"Right, settle down you lot and turn to page two hundred and forty-six. Jennie turn round, the wall isn't going to talk to you."

"Sorry Sir, there was a spider."

He slumped into his chair and put his feet on his desk, knocking over a pile of spare quills and parchment.

"Was it an acromantula?"

"That was what I was checking, you know, just in case it, like, decided to bite my head off. Or something."

I didn't look at Sirius and James who were both doubled up with silent laughter. They were the ones that had put it in my hair, knowing I hate spiders. And then told me it was there.

"So was it?"

"No."

"Oh good, so anyway, this year you've all got your O.W.L.'s and if you don't all pass them with at least an 'exceeds expectations' grade then I will cry, got it? The Hufflepuffs can get 'acceptables' and the Slytherins have no hope but you lot are the smart ones so that's what I'm expecting."

We all laughed at his last remark about the Slytherins and James whooped.

"Anyway, nagging over, to start the year off and clear you all of any holiday sleepiness that you still may have you're gonna be practicing your stunning spells today. The ones that we were doing at the end of last year. Anyone remember the incantation?"

Lily's hand shot up. She was right at the front sitting next to her Ravenclaw friend Billie Bridges.

Billie is the envy of almost every girl in the school right now. Not just because she's absolutely stunning with her wavy chocolate brown hair and striking green eyes but also because she's currently dating Jake Renn. 'Mr Popular' and just about the only guy that Sirius respects in the whole school, and that's only because he looks up to him because he's had more girls in his bed than Sirius and James and just about every other boy in the school put together.

"Go on then Lily." Shiver said,

"Stupefy, Sir."

"Exactly Lily, glad to know one of you pays attention in my class."

As if to prove his point someone snored from the back of the classroom and I heard a muffled apology that sounded something like.

"Sorry, he's hung-over. Shall I slap him?"

"No, leave him. I remember having hangovers when I was your age and the worst thing was coming to lessons the next day, you can stun him later."

I laughed, that'll wake him up.

"Right, you're already in pairs so stand up while I clear the desks."

We all jumped up immediately but some weren't quick enough and ended up being thrown half way across the room by their chairs flying off with them still sitting down.  
>It's Shiver's little way of making sure we're all on our toes in his lesson.<p>

"When you have a space, you can start stunning each other. I've put a cushioning charm on the floor so you boys who are partnered with the ladies, don't worry about going full force."

Oh thanks Prof, now I'm going to get battered.

"Go on then Charles; give it your best shot." I teased, his name isn't even Charles but I love calling him it because it annoys him.

"Yes Jennifer, I shall."

"Go on then."

"Stupefy!"

Frank Longbottom went flying into his partner behind me.

"Charlie, that was far too off target. You definitely were not trying."

"I sneezed! I sneezed and it jogged my aim! Sorry?" He replied, with puppy dog eyes.

"Hmm, anyway it's my turn now. Stupefy!"

Charlie flew backwards and knocked Sirius over into a pile of chairs.

"Oi! Watch it! Oh it's you." Sirius' voice trailed off when he saw whose face was glaring up at him.

"Yeah it's me, sorry. I'll move over." Charlie apologised and got up to come back to where we were practicing.

"Yeah, do. And watch where you're flying next time." Sirius snapped back.

Charlie looked over at me and raised his eyebrows in a questioning way, I responded by shrugging my shoulders and getting ready to be jinxed.

"Stupefy!"

This time it actually was me who flew across the room, knocking over Billie and Arthur on my way to an unwelcome collision with a tower of desks.

The lesson continued like this for the next half an hour until there was enough people complaining of headaches and bruises for the class to stop and get settled back into our seats.

"Right, you lot, now you're all awake and Turner's thrown up his lunch." Began Professor Shiver, gesturing towards the boy who had fallen asleep from his hangover at the beginning of the lesson.

"Seeing as it's the first defence lesson since the holidays you're only doing some copying today, and by that I mean write as much of 'The Dark Forces' as you can from page two hundred and forty-six – with diagrams. The person who writes the most gets a bar of Honeydukes chocolate, and I have to be able to read their writing."

With that he looked at me, I have never been known for having the neatest writing on earth. Also, I love Honeydukes chocolate.

"Go!"

For the next ten minutes the only thing that could be heard was the scratching of quills on parchment and the occasional swear word as someone knocked over their pot of ink.

I, so far, had managed to write about five pages and drawn the diagrams really badly. I wanted that chocolate so bad...

I glanced over at how much Charlie had written and felt my stomach rumble. He'd copied at least nine maybe ten pages out with beautiful diagrams and notes.

Now I'd never get it.

For the rest of the lesson no-one spoke until Professor Shiver announced very loudly that we should stop writing and summoned all of our parchment over to his desk with every intention of knocking over ink pots and making big blots of ink all over the work.

The silence was deafening as the class waited for Shiver to announce the winner of the chocolate.

"Close one this time guys! Lily, you did just as well as you usually do with fifteen pages copied out with lovely diagrams. But today someone actually beat _you! _And that person with nineteen pages of 'The Dark Forces' written out, is Charlie Lawson! Well done mate!"

Lily looked gobsmacked as Charlie strode up to the front of the class with a huge grin on his face to go and get his chocolate.

"Alright guys! Clear up your stuff and you can go as soon as the bell rings! Don't leave anything behind or I'll nick it, you have been warned!"

I stuffed my books and wand into my falling-apart satchel and sat on the desk waiting for the bell to go.

"Here you go." Came a voice from behind me.

"Huh?" I turned around to see Charlie holding out the bar of chocolate to me, "Charlie, that's yours. You won it. Keep it."

"It's mine, yeah. And that means I can do what I want with it, and that means giving it to you." He said, looking smug.

"Well, if you insist!" I took the chocolate from him and put it in my bag. The corner of it was poking through a hole in the bottom corner but I'm not getting rid of my bag. I've had it ever since first year and I fully intend to keep it all the way to seventh.

He looked a little surprised that I hadn't argued a little more but then realisation crept over his face when he remembered my love for chocolate and laughed.

"Enjoy it!" He chuckled.

It was then that the bell went, and everyone sprinted for the door.

* * *

><p>"Ugh, how many more days 'till Christmas?" Moaned Sirius as I shoved him through the portrait hole.<p>

"Padfoot, we've been here for a day." Stated Remus, who was still looking rough but seemed to perk up a little when Stephanie waved at him as he entered the common room.

"I know, and I feel like I've been here for weeks!" Sirius continued.

"Well, what with potions this morning I think we all feel a little dead inside. We have it again tomorrow you know?" I added.

"You mean I have to carry you all the way to the Dungeons? Fun." Said Sirius as he collapsed into one of the comfy chairs by the fire. "Moony, take that up to the dorm for me would you?" He demanded, throwing his bag at Remus who dropped it on the floor and sat down in a chair opposite Sirius.

"I'll take it," I volunteered,

"Thanks midget" said Sirius.

"I'm going up anyway, wanna get out of these clothes."

"On second thoughts, how about I carry that for you?" Said Sirius, changing tone at the speed of light.

"Dream on mate." I replied, grabbing his and Remus' bags and running up to the dormitories with them.

I'd been in their dorm before, plenty of times. Usually I'm in there because it's the only place we can work on pranks without being disturbed by too many other people and if we are disturbed, it's only ever by Frank or Arthur.

I screwed up my nose as I stepped in at the overwhelming smell of 'boy'.

It's a strange smell 'boy', I mean, one boy on his own can smell good because he has his own unique 'smell' but the smell of 'boy' as a collective is weird. One moment you can smell a pleasant smell of deodorant and soap, but the next you get a really strong whiff of socks and unwashed clothes, then an overwhelming stench of too much perfume and aftershave and cologne.

Like I said, it's strange.

After I'd dumped Sirius and Remus' bags on what I assumed were their beds – I made this assumption based upon the fact that Sirius' would probably be the messiest one there, unmade bed, clothes strewn across the floor. You get the picture. And Remus' the tidiest, with a book on the bed. – I hurried up to the girls' dormitory to get changed into my normal clothes and throw my uniform under my bed.

Once I had changed into some jeans and a t-shirt, I grabbed Charlie's, no, my chocolate from my schoolbag and jumped down the staircase back to the common room. Accidentally knocking a red headed seventh year boy all the way down and having to try and apologise to him between giggles.

"Give us some chocolate midget!" Called Sirius.

I threw a chunk at his forehead.

"Ow! Thanks!"

At that point James vaulted over the back of the sofa I had just slumped onto and snatched the chocolate from my hand.

"No time for idle chitchat and food-eating you two! It's only an hour 'till dinner time, we need to get to the kitchens!"

"Aha, yes Jamesy! We do indeed! Sirius, where's the dye?"

"Eughh, it's upstairs. Gimme a minute." Replied Sirius as he bolted up to his dormitory and returned seconds later with a bottle of silvery coloured liquid that seemed to move of its own accord. Even if the bottle was held still.

"No wonder Slughorn loves you Sirius, you are excellent at potions." I commented, grumpily.

"Are you coming on to me Jen?" Was Sirius' sarcastic reply.

He received a punch.

"Oi, you two. Focus. Come on." James ordered.

Sirius shoved the bottle into his pocket and climbed through the portrait hole, all the time keeping his head down, acting like a toddler who had just been scolded by his parents.

* * *

><p>We arrived at the fruit bowl painting and James tickled the pear.<p>

Sirius and I were still doubled up in silent laughter from James' sudden scolding.

When we arrived in the kitchen we were immediately swarmed by a dozen house elves thrusting various items of food and drink at us.

"Sorry guys," James called "We're here on business today, no time to eat unfortunately!"

"Of course Mr. Potter! We'll leave you to it Mr. Potter Sir!" Chorused a few squeaky voices.

"Right, Sirius, hand me the dye. And you two go and find the food for Slytherin."

"Yes Mum." Sirius whimpered.

"Shut up!" I hissed at him, trying not to giggle.

We began walking around the kitchen until we found four long tables, already laid out with food, ready to be sent up through the ceiling into the Great Hall.

I'd been to the kitchens plenty of times before, but I'd only ever ventured as far as the first corner. I always knew they went on further but the house elves were always so helpful that I never had to move anywhere to obtain any food.

I sussed out which table should be the Slytherin one and confirmed it with a nearby house elf.

"James! I've found it! The Slytherin table! Come here!" I yelled.

James and Sirius came running round the corner with about fifty house elves following them each holding four little vials full of the silvery potion.

I love the house elves, they aren't supposed to be prejudiced against any of the houses but they all hate the Slytherins just as much as we do. So they're always up for helping us with anything that needs doing in a prank.

"Right!" Announced James. "Each of you have enough dye to cover one platter of food so keep an eye out for each other as you work because we don't have much spare. Thanks guys! You're all doing great! Get going!"

"Oh, and only do the food that is for the main course. Pudding is something else." I added.

For the next five minutes the Slytherin table was completely hidden by a swarm of elves all scrambling to be able to get a chance to be a part of the latest Maraunder joke.

When the elves had finished and cleared off of the table all the food had strange silver sheen to it which faded within thirty seconds.

James flicked his wand and a hundred or so small pieces of parchment flew out of his pocket and placed themselves in front of all the deserts that would be sent up after the main course.

Most of these slips read

'_Look in the mirror, ugly. From Regulus Black and Lucius Malfoy.' _

But there were two slips that read

'_Alright ugly? Don't ever beat up Peter again, right? Hope you are all well, because you don't look it. _

_Sincerely, The Maraunders and Smith._

_P.S. Good luck in the common room.'_

Those slips were charmed to fly around the hall until they found Regulus and Lucius then settle in front of them during pudding.

"Well." Said James, "I think that's us pretty much done."

"This'll be good" Said Sirius with a smirk.

"Alright, bye guys!" I shouted to the house elves, "Thankyou so much for all your help!"

And with that, Smith and the Maraunders left the kitchens.

* * *

><p>We met up with Peter and Lily in the Entrance Hall and directed them to the seats in which we had planned to sit.<p>

We were joined by Remus and Stephanie just as the food was appearing on the table.

"Tuck in!" Came the voice of Albus Dumbledore booming over the noise of forks being picked up and the exited murmur of hungry children.

"Yes, do." Grinned Sirius.

He was sitting next to James on my left and Lily was on my other side.

Nothing happened for about twenty minutes, but soon we were aware of a few giggles coming from various students around the hall.

Narcissa Black's usually bleached blonde, perfect hair was slowly turning a wonderful shade of red with a definite hint of a few dark green streaks poking through the red.

When she realised that the laughter was directed at her she looked around to see what was so funny. That was when Bellatrix noticed her hand starting to sprout lumps of a brilliant purple and shrieked.

People were now looking around to the Gryffindor table to see the usual tell tale signs of a Maraunder 'attack' i.e. James, Sirius, Remus and I doubled over in laughter.

And that's exactly what they saw. Us, along with the rest of the Gryffindor. Some people spewing food and drink all over their friends when they realised that along the Slytherin table, every student was slowly mutating into something that only vaguely resembled a human being.

Even Lily was laughing.

Result.

At this point, James decided to get up. I thought for a moment that he was going to make another stupid speech but instead he just shooed me up the bench to sit next to Sirius and plonked himself down next to Lily.

I held my breath. I've always wanted them to get together, or at least be friends, and James had probably just snapped up the opportune moment to make something happen.

Lily turned to look at James, her face completely straight. Showing no trace of emotion at all. Then, very slowly, a smile crept up on to her lips and she stepped forward and hugged him.

Yes. I know. I thought I was hallucinating at first.

Lily Evans just _hugged _James Potter.

"Close your mouth Jennie, you're dribbling." Came Sirius' voice from over my shoulder.

I snapped my mouth shut and tried speaking "She... he... I... Lily... Hug... James..." I managed to get out.

"I know, Lily finally realised what a hunk of man candy young Jamesy here is. We all saw!" He laughed, "Hey, look at Malfoy and Turd."

I looked back over at the Slytherin table, it was a sight. There were people sporting orange afro's and green overhanging noses. Fluorescent yellow monobrows and in several cases, skin had turned slightly green.

After finally locating Malfoy and Black, I let out a huge snort of laughter that was probably extremely unattractive.  
>Their skin had turned several different shades of scarlet and gold and their hair had grown upwards and stayed there, flashing crimson, yellow and gold. Across each of the boys foreheads scrolled the words 'Go, go, Gryffindor!'<p>

The best part of this was the fact that several of their housemates had just received the notes that informed them that is was Regulus and Lucius that had performed the prank and some of them were actually stupid enough to believe it. They were now advancing on the pair and Malfoy was dragging Regulus backwards out of the hall whilst hiding behind him.

Suddenly Regulus seemed to freak out and yelped, turned and sprinted out of the hall, with Malfoy at his heels. The mob of angry Slytherins followed suit and chased them to what I assumed would be their common room.

* * *

><p>"Mr Black, Mr Potter and Miss Smith. A word please." Came the shrill voice of Professor McGonagall over the slightly calmed laughter in the Great Hall.<p>

It had been about fifteen minutes since the Slytherins had run out of the hall and most students had gone upstairs to bed.

I wiped a tear from under my eye and attempted to pull myself together as I got up.

James and Sirius got up from beside me and we all trudged over to McGonagall discussing how long we were going to be in detention for this time.

As we got to her I could see her practically fuming.

She shook as she spoke through tightly pressed together lips.

"One day. We haven't even been here for one day. And you pull out, this?" She said, in a low and almost threatening tone.

"Quite impressive, don't you think Minnie?" Sirius said, cockily grinning.

I held in a laugh that was dangerously close to bursting out as another beautiful snort.

"The magic involved in that was absolutely exemplary and way beyond O.W.L. standards." She continued. "But, the use it was put to was most definitely not. Do you know how long it will take Mr Malfoy and Mr Black to return to normal?"

"About a week Prof." Said James.

"Is that so? Well, that seems to be a reasonable time to keep you three in detention then. You are all expected to turn up at my office every evening at seven thirty sharp and you shall be helping Mr Pringle with his caretaking jobs. You are, of course, allowed to skip Saturday night because it is a Hogsmeade weekend and also because I had a laugh." She smiled before turning stern again. "Is that clear?"

"Yeeeaah."

"Gotcha."

"Uhuh."

"Good, now get to bed and don't cause any more trouble tonight."

"Will you tuck me in Minnie?" Said Sirius with a wink, before sprinting down the hall.


	6. The Past, and The Present

**A/N – Well, here's my first attempt at a bit of drama... Dunno how it's turned out and I dunno whether it will be all that good but I'm open to any kind of criticism whether it's nice or whether it's completely slating the story :)**

**Thanks to Vampirelove101, freezingsummerbreeze, HBIC Never Again, Bloody Scarlett Cherry Blossom, anime-princess42 and TayylorDuhh for alerting and favouriting and anything else :) **

**Reply to Almond of the Stars' review – Don't worry, I'm one of the laziest people alive. :) I know some of the ages aren't exactly right but ya' know, I wanted to put those characters in so I thought it might be okay if I did that then tried to keep to JK's guidelines for the rest! Thankyou for reviewing! **

**Happy reading! :)**

**Disclaimer – If I told you I owned this, it would be a big fat lie.**

_**~~Friday, the day before the Saturday of the Hogsmeade weekend~~**_

Detention. Detention. Detention. Detention. Detention.

That is all I hear at the moment.

Every teacher, every lesson, every day. Throwing out detentions here there and everywhere.

We've been back at Hogwarts for _four days _and between us (Sirius, James and I) there hasn't been one break that hasn't been filled with detention.

I alone, have had four detentions from Slughorn, six from McGonagall (Not including the ones from the prank) and one from the caretaker Mr Pringle for messing about _in _a detention!

I haven't eaten lunch for two days now purely because I haven't had time to!

James has had enough of it and has actually resolved to jinxing his own mouth shut during lessons to avoid the temptation to talk. This, of course, just makes me laugh even more at his attempts to speak under the jinx!

You just can't win when you're me.

I forgot to go to one of Slughorn's the other day and he went ape at me. I've never seen him so mad...

I bet you're wondering where this lovely little rant has come from huh?

Well, let me tell you. I'm on my way to one right now.

It's McGonagall's. For the prank.

We have to meet up with Pringle at eight-thirty pm on the shore of the Black Lake and then he makes us dive in under the bubble-head charm and collect all of the junk that immature students – us – have thrown in there to annoy the Giant Squid.

Sirius has taken to turning the whole thing into a bit of a joke really and comes wearing one more item of swimwear and one less item of clothing each night.

He's onto Snorkel, goggles, armbands, flippers and tonight, I think he's going for Speedos.

We've found some quite interesting stuff in the lake actually.

Aside from all the crap we threw in, we've found:

The diary of a seventh year Hufflepuff who has obviously tried to dispose of it and forgotten about the waterproofing charm that is put on every wizard book before sale.

Seven broomsticks still in useable condition even if they are all at least ten years out of date.

No less than twenty four pairs of underwear.

A stash of firewhisky with a secret passageway that leads to the staff room...

And we also discovered where the Giant Squid lives... That was scary.

_**~~After the head rant is over and once Jennie has arrived at her detention~~**_

As I got to the lake I could see James and Sirius being shouted at by Pringle and psyching themselves up for the initial freezing feeling of jumping in.

I was only wearing a pair of cloth shorts and a vest top seeing as I wasn't going to ruin my good clothes.

James was in a t-shirt and shorts and Sirius was in bright pink Speedos.

Yes. Pink Speedos.

When I reached the boys I received a "Hey Jen!" From James and a wolf whistle from Sirius.

"Hi James. And Sirius, you can talk. Nice Speedo's" I replied.

"Hey!" Came the Scottish twang of Apollyon Pringle, Hogwarts caretaker and all round evil guy. "When you two have finished flirting you have a job to do!"

I rolled my eyes and turned to get ready.

After we'd been talked through what we needed to do and shooed off the group of girls that had gathered to see Sirius Black in Speedos. We each put the bubble-head charm on ourselves and plunged into the lake.

Maaan, it's cold. I shivered slightly in the blackness of the water.

After fighting my way through a bunch of Grindylows that seemed to be determined to drag me to their lair and cook me dinner, or cook me _for _dinner. I finally reached the area of the lake we were supposed to be cleaning.

I had made it very clear to the other two that I wasn't planning on going anywhere near the Squids lair. Not since I discovered it by accident thinking that a tentacle was some bit of junk that I might have thrown in one summer, attempting to drag it up to the surface with me, turning around when I realised it wasn't moving and nearly crapping myself when I saw two black eyes contrasting with the white er... skin? Of the Giant Squid.

So they, being the obvious 'gentlemen' were very understanding and James offered to swap locations with me.

I agreed.

Then found out that James' previous location had been under a leaky sewage pipe.

I decided to start with the pile of junk that had the least human waste covering it.

Over the course of the next two or so hours, darkness fell outside the lake and we had recovered half a car amongst other junk.

"Bloody hell." Exclaimed James, stepping back and admiring the sizeable mound of rubbish that we now had to transport to Hogsmeade station ready to be picked up by the criminals on community service from Azkaban.

"Now that," Sirius breathed "Is a lot of crap."

"Literally." I moaned, wiping some excrement from my face.

"I wondered what the smell was." Said James, screwing up his nose.

"You seem to like the 'I live down a sewage plant' look. You've used it twice this year already." Observed Sirius.

"Yeah, but unlike you two –" I replied, "I make it work."

With that I walked over and picked up a load of rubbish, including three broken wands, and took it over to the cart we had to drag over to the station.

_**~~Once the cart is considerably full and Jennie has managed to secure a Thestral to pull it to the station~~**_

"Ow!" Came Sirius' yell over the darkness.

"What's up Pad?" James questioned.

"This bloody Thestral thing keeps biting me! I wish I could see it, then I could smack it one."

"You don't want to be able to see it." I spoke, softly. "You have to have seen someone die."

I could feel the tears prickling, so decided to change the subject. James however, had to keep going.

"But _you_ can see them. And the only thing you've seen die was my hamster when it escaped and got mashed by a car."

I wiped my cheek and carried on walking like I hadn't heard his comment.

I thought I had blocked this out. Obviously not.

I could hear Sirius commenting in the background, "It didn't escape, I was training it to cross the road. Anyway, I saw that too."

I wanted to laugh at James' dumbstruck expression and continue with the conversation but all I could think about was that memory...

When I was nine years old, before I met James and Lily. Before I met Remus and Peter. Before I met Sirius. I had a family.

Yeah, I still have relatives – a Mother, a Father and a brother. But we're not a family. Not since Silas.

Silas, was my brother. He was also my best friend.

Alex, Silas and I spent hours together, talking and joking. He was the middle child, two years younger than Alex and four years older than me. The complete opposite to Alex and I who both have dirty blonde hair, grey eyes and a small build. Whereas, he was tall, and with jet black hair, striking blue eyes and high cheekbones was the absolute spitting image of our father.

They came on my ninth birthday. Broke down the front door and held me at wand point.

I was at home on my own at the time because Father was buying a pizza for my birthday dinner and Mother was picking Silas and Alex up from school. I didn't have to go because I already had a place at Hogwarts.

I remember a man's voice, deep and booming, saying...

"_Tha's his girl. Don't look like he's 'ome though. Search it anyway" He gestured to two other men and then turned back to me. "Hey kiddo, where's your Daddy?"_

_I refused to answer and just shook my head. _

_Gripping my hair, pulling my head back and placing his wand at my throat he shouted the question again, so loud._

_Yet again, I just shook my head and kept my mouth tight shut._

I remember thinking 'Nice way to introduce yourself...' But was then distracted from my thoughts.

_That was when the other men came back into the room and I was let go. I dropped to the floor and watched as the three conversed quietly shaking heads and glancing over at me occasionally to make sure I hadn't overheard them._

_I got a chance to make a clear picture of them in my head. _

_One of the men had long, greasy white hair and three yellowing teeth. He looked about forty and was short with a stocky build._

_Another was bald, and had bright purple eyes. He had a nose that looked as though it had been broken repeatedly. He towered over the other two and was slim, like a twig._

_The third man, the one that had held me at wand point, was the scariest and youngest out of the three. He looked to be no older than twenty five at the most and he had black hair, slicked back and shining. He was muscly, by the looks of him, and his teeth were dazzlingly white. He also smelt, of burning._

_All three of them were wearing long, flowing, black robes that seemed not to have an end or a beginning._

_They seemed to come to some conclusion in their conversation and the same man came back over and pulled my head back to look at him. _

"_Listen darlin' your Daddy owes us. And if you don't tell us where he is we'll take you to settle 'is debt."_

"_I'm not telling you where my Father is." I said through clenched teeth. I was terrified. But determined not to show it._

"_Listen sweetie. We're gonna find your Daddy, whether you tell us where he is or not."_

"_Well you'd better get looking then. Because I'm not telling." _

_He raised his hand and brought it down across my face so hard that my cheek began to bleed._

"_For an eight year old, you've got alot of nerve missy."_

"_It's nine actually. Nine today." _

_I could see the anger building up in his eyes. _

_Then he smirked. A terrible, terrifying, yellow toothed smirk._

"_Well. Happy Birthday darlin'."_

_And with that, he brought his hand across my face again and I blacked out._

_When I came to, I could hear hushed conversation. I opened my eyes and blinked to get rid of the blurriness just as I heard a slightly muffled shout._

_Slowly sitting up so as not to alert any of the men, I looked around the living room. _

_It was a mess. _

_The paintings that normally hung on the wall were lying on the wooden floor, slashed and torn. _

_The television that stood in the corner was smashed and smoking slightly. _

_And the normally cream rug that covered the floor in front of the fireplace was covered in dark, red blood..._

_Three people were sat in the middle of the room, on the floor, back to back. _

_A teen of about fifteen with long, wavy, dirty blonde hair was sitting next to a younger looking boy, about thirteen with a messy shock of jet black hair who was clasping the hand of a blonde woman in her late thirties. The woman had a deep gash in her leg that was bleeding heavily._

_The three people were Alex, Silas and my Mother._

_Two of the three men were pacing around in circles attempting a menacing look and occasionally shooting glares at the helpless three in the middle of the room._

_The other man, the one who had slapped me and seemed to be the one in charge, was questioning my Mother. I say questioning. Shouting in her face would be a more apt description._

"_Your bloody husband owes us! You know that! You're lucky your daughter's still alive after the cheek she gave me! I'll kill her if you don't tell me where he is. I'll kill you all. One by one."_

_Mother let out a sob as the man moved away from her and onto Alex._

"_What about you boy?" The man started. This time, he wasn't shouting. He was crouching down in front of Alex and speaking straight at his face. "Do you know where your Father is?" _

_Alex didn't answer. Instead he reached over to my Mother and grabbed her free hand and squeezed it._

"_Didn't you hear me? I said, do you know where your Father is?" _

_The man produced a knife and pressed it against Alex's bare arm._

"_I know where he is." Alex said._

_I couldn't believe it. Was he really going to tell these people where our Father was? Who are these people anyway? My Mother seems to know them. I wonder..._

"_Oh really?" The man said sarcastically, then, as if he had only just realised what he had heard. "You do?"_

_He was surprised, so much so that he took the knife away from Alex's arm and put it back into the folds of the black cloak._

"_Yes. I do." Said Alex, "But you don't." _

_The man let out a noise that made him sound as if he was constipated. _

"_You all think too highly of the piece of scum you call Father. Truman Smith does not deserve the respect you give him."_

_No-one made a sound in response to the man's statement so he decided to move on to Silas._

"_Alright little man. I'll make this nice and easy for you." He started. Then stood up and walked over in my direction. I quickly shut my eyes and slumped, hoping that he hadn't noticed I had come round._

_I felt a hand grab the shoulder of my top and pull upwards. Before I knew it my feet were dangling in mid air and I was face to face with the man. _

"_Thought I'd forgotten you 'eh? You thought, I 'adn't noticed that you were awake?" _

_I said nothing and just stared into his yellowing eyes._

_He grunted and walked back over to where my brother was sitting, a terrified look spread across his face. _

_I was dropped on the floor and I began to sit up, when I saw the man's wand aimed at me, and stopped moving._

_The man turned to Silas and spoke almost in a whisper. "Now boy, you can either tell me where your dear old man is, or, you can watch your little sister scream." _

_My Mother and Alex began to move but the other men were too quick and were holding them back before they even managed a step. _

_My Mother screamed, "No! Not Jennie! Not my baby! Please, don't hurt her!" _

"_Shut up!" Hollered the man and she fell silent. "You got an answer yet kiddo?" he continued as he turned back to face me, though addressing Silas all the time. _

"_Silas, don't tell him." I whimpered. Although not exactly sure what would be the consequences if he didn't._

"_You'll shut yer trap darlin', if you know what's good for you." _

"_Silas, look at me."_

_My brother lifted his head and stared. He had tears, running down from his startlingly blue eyes, down over his narrow cheekbones and down his pale cheeks. _

"_Silas, listen to me. I'll be fine. I will, but if you tell him where Dad is then I don't think Dad will be for long. Don't."_

"_Jennie, I'm sorry. For whatever happens. I'm so sorry."_

_He lifted his head further to come level with the man's eyes._

"_Ah, finally, an answer. So, where's he at kiddo?"_

_With a glance at me, a glance filled with sadness and guilt, Silas replied. "I'm not telling."_

"_You stupid boy." The man spat in his face. "You asked for this kid." He grabbed Silas by the collar and held him in such a way, that he was forced to look at me. _

_Then, the man shouted. One word, but the most terrible word I have and possibly ever shall hear._

"_Crucio!" _

_And I screamed. _

_The pain was worse than anything I could ever describe and all I could do was scream. I felt as though I was being submerged in burning lava then plunged immediately in to ice cold water. And even that is not enough to explain the pain that surged through my body for the entire duration of the curse._

_And then, after years of pain and humiliation, the most blissful feeling came over me. Calmness. _

_The pain had stopped and I was lying, curled up on the floor._

_I had also stopped screaming. I wanted to just stay here forever and be safe. _

_But then he spoke._

"_So, has anything come to mind yet or am I going to have to jog your memory a little more." He re-pointed his wand at me and I felt a tear run down my cheek._

_Silas spoke. _

"_Who are you working for?" he asked. Sounding disgusted, his voice thick and wavering._

"_That's of no business to you. You just need to tell me where your Father is." _

"_Well, whoever he is." Silas continued, ignoring the man's warning. "You can tell him from me, Silas Smith, that he is a sick bastard. And a lazy git, to have his henchmen come to find someone instead of getting off of his own arse and coming himself."_

"_Silas!" Mother cried, "Please, darling, mind your language!"_

"_Shut up woman!" Cried the man, burning with rage. "What did you just say boy? Huh?"_

"_I said your master is a sick, lazy, arse." Silas said, in a low voice, through gritted teeth._

"_Say it one more time kid. I dare you." _

"_Your master is a sick, lazy, arse." _

_Silas stepped back quickly as the man let out a huge yell and began throwing punches right at the spot he had just been in. _

_Moving forward as he flailed his arms around the man chased Silas towards the far wall where he cornered him and began screaming in his face. No proper words, just noises. _

_Suddenly there was a loud bang and the man fell silent. _

_I tried to move my head to look at the cause of the noise but I felt the pain coming back so just continued to lie where I was._

"_What, in the name of Merlin, is going on?" Came a worried voice. A man's voice. The voice of my Father. _

"_Ah, Truman. You've arrived. You know, none of this would have happened if you had just turned up a little earlier." Said the man cornering Silas. Then, he began to laugh manically._

"_Now," He began in between laughs, "Now, you can watch your son die." _

_As he said the last three words of that sentence, he stopped laughing all together and returned to his normal, deep voice. I felt my heart stop. _

"_SILAS!" I screamed, but it was too late. _

"_Avada Kedavra!" The man screeched. _

_I was wrong. 'Crucio', was not the worst word I would ever hear._

_The two men who had been restraining my Mother and Alex let go of them and my mother dropped to her knees._

_They grabbed the laughing killer and dragged him out of the house. As if they didn't know what else to do._

_I got up, that pain screaming at me, trying to pull me back down, but I wasn't letting it. _

_I made my way to the corner and dropped in front of my brother. No, my brother's body._

"_Silas..." I wept, "Silas please no... Silas..."_

"Jennie... Jennie... Helloooo, anyone in there?"

"Huh? You what? Oh, heh, yeah, I'm here." I said, quickly wiping my tear streamed face. Good job it's dark, otherwise I really would be screwed.

"Ah, good." Said Sirius, he hadn't even noticed my little blank out then, good. "Anyway, as I was saying, Bunny pyjamas or a flowery shower cap?"

I heard James moan and I giggled.

It was going to be a _very _long trip to Hogsmeade.

**A/N - Soo, let me know if the bombshell went okay? Was it too dramatic? Was it waaay to unrealistic? Did you like the change in atmosphere? I'd love to hear from you guys! Even if it's just saying Hi! **

**-Amiee :)**


	7. Spillages, awkwardness and cuddles

**A/N – Hellooo!**

**I haven't abandoned Jennie yet! Don't you worry! I just got swamped with homework and auditions and everything else on the planet possible to be in the way.**

**Thanks to ifyouonlyknew713 for putting this story on alert :D**

**And review reply to Almond of the Stars – Psh... lazy again! Don't worry, I'm exactly the same :) Thankyou! I'm glad you thought it was original, I read it through and was like... 'Oh, that's a little farfetched...' but then I remembered that it's a story based on a story about a wizard... and BAM you have farfetched already! Nah, Sirius has all sorts of things... Because he's Sirius. Thank you for reviewing! Hope you enjoy the new chapter!**

**Anyway... I really can't think of anything else to say so BYEEE and happy reading!... :)))**

**-Amiee :)**

**Disclaimer – This story belongs to the wonderful and brilliant Queen, J.K. Rowling. **

**Whether she wants it or not...**

"Jennie get up."

SMACK!

"Jennie, it's Saturday, get up."

SMACK!

"FOR GOD'S SAKE! GET YOUR ARSE OUT OF BED!"

SMACK! THUMP! SMACK!

Oh, how I love Lily Evans...

I caught the pillow that was being repeatedly slammed into my face and threw it at her.

"Oh good, your awake. Now get up."

"Lily. Oh man, I feel awful. What's all the fuss?" I mumbled whilst rubbing my eyes.

I hadn't had more than about two hours sleep. Sirius and James had insisted that once we were in Hogsmeade we were going to re-stock Sirius' stash of butterbeer up in some cave a little way out of town.

And by the time we had done that the Thestral had managed to detach itself from the cart. Meaning we had to drag it all the way back to the Hogwarts grounds by ourselves.

That in itself took two hours and by the time we had trudged off to the Common room and I'd managed to get away from Sirius and James who had then decided to proceed to attack me with 'tickles'. Ran up to my dorm and pulled off my soaking wet clothes.

It was way past 3 am.

"The fuss?" Lily began "the fuss is, my friend, that you have a very important date ahead of you and- Oh my God you're a mess."

Date? Important date? Come again Lil's... OH CRAP.

"I'm in Hogsmeade with Charlie today aren't I?" I moaned, flopping back down on to my bed and pulling the covers over my head.

I heard someone walk over in the direction of the bathroom and then I heard the shower turn on.

Then the covers of my bed were pulled off and I was pulled up by Lily.

I was pushed into the bathroom and shoved – fully clothed – into the coldest shower I have ever experienced.

"HOLY- LILY- FREAKIN- OH HELL- SHIT THIS IS COLD!" I finally managed to say.

"Yes, it is isn't it." Lily commented, as if she wasn't at all bothered. "And you're staying in there until you're awake."

"ALRIGHT! WELL I'M BLOODY AWAKE NOW AREN'T I?" I screamed.

"No, you're not. You haven't been awake for this whole week. You've been walking around looking like a zombie for the whole time. How many hours did you sleep last night?"

"I DUNNO, TWO? MAYBE THREE? JUST LET ME OUT."

"Alright, you can get out of the shower now."

And with that, the weight that had previously been keeping the door closed, despite my shoving, shifted. And I, tumbled straight out of the shower.

"Feel better?" Was the first thing I heard.

"No." I replied. "I'm now cold, and wet and not feeling any less awful than I did before."

"Yes, but you _look_ like you feel better. Which was what I was hoping for." She said, matter of fact-ly.

"Ugh. Lily, have I ever told you I hate you?" I groaned, as I heaved myself up from the nice puddle that had accumulated on the floor around me.

"Plenty of times." She replied "Now go and get dry."

As I was drying my hair and attempting to tidy up my clothes before choosing what to wear, Lily began another lecture.

"Jennie, you are aware of what you're doing today aren't you?"

I looked at her, confused.

"Of course I do. I'm going to Hogsmeade with Charlie. What are you on about?"

"Exactly! You're going out, on a date, with the guy you've been crushing on since third year!"

Ugh, so bloody cheesy Lily.

"And I felt stupid even saying that." She continued.

"Yeah, you sounded it too. Anyway, Charlie's a friend, nothing more!"

Lily made a sound like a pig.

"Yeah, right. Don't give me that one. He obviously likes you and I know that you like him so don't bother denying it!"

I made no sound.

"Anyway what I was trying to say was, please, don't do anything stupid. Don't mess it up. Because, it's ages since I saw you genuinely smile and the only time you ever seem to is when you're around him."

I didn't really know how to reply to that so I just went "Urrrgghh... Thanks? I think..."

"Like that. That's the sort of thing you _shouldn't_ do. It creeps _me _out and I'm your best friend! Seriously though, everyone wants this to go well for you and for him and they're all gonna be really pissed if you two come back arguing."

"Alright Lil's you can count on- hang on, everyone?"

"Yeah. Come on, you're not exactly a nobody around here are you? You're on the Quidditch team or _were _last year, that's another thing you need to do, tryouts. You're part of the Maraunders, you're best friends with me – not to blow my own horn or anything –, James Potter is like your big brother and Sirius Black will beat anyone up who says a word against you. You can't seriously expect that no-one will know what's going on in your life?" She said, looking very pleased with herself.

Then added "Oh, and you wrecked Slughorn's classroom and transformed the whole of Slytherin house on the first day back."

"But, really? Knowing who I'm going to Hogsmeade with? Knowing my crushes? That's just weird!" I replied.

I didn't really want to believe her. I had always thought of myself as being sort of in the background of everything. I mean, Lily and Billie being the two prettiest girls in the year, James, Sirius and Remus being some of the best known and best looking guys in the year. And what with me being at least a foot shorter than most of them...

I always thought I had been living in their shadows and that suited me fine. Now I was being told that I was just as 'famous' as them... I wasn't sure I liked it all that much...

Lily, however, wasn't finished yet.

"And then you've got Charlie who is a charming guy but will, no offense here, brag about stuff just as much as any other boy will! I mean, he's hardly gonna keep quiet about the fact that he's taking one of the cutest girls in Hogwarts out is he?"

"Don't compliment me, you know I hate it. I'll have enough problems with cringing later. Now, let's drop this. My hair's sort of dry now and I'll tidy it up in a minute, help me choose something to wear."

_**~~A few arguments and strange combinations later and Jennie has finally put an outfit together~~**_

"I can't believe it took us that long to come up with _that._" I laughed.

I had ended up wearing shorts, a shirt and a cranberry jumper. So much for imaginative.

"You look the same as you do every day!" Lily giggled.

"Oh well, I never make an effort for anything... I don't think I'll be starting now. Anyway, if I was in a tight skirt and heels then I'd probably find myself in the middle of a riot and that would just be my luck."

"Fair enough." Lily said, then added quickly "But don't, you know, actually get stuck in a riot. That would really put a bit of a dampener on things. So what are we gonna do with your hair? Cut it?"

"Get off." I replied "I dunno, you think of something."

"I'll just dry it, it looks sweet natural."

"Oh, but I usually str-" But Lily cut me off.

"I know, that's why you're not today."

"Just the ends?" I asked. Usually I tame my hair a little by sort of straightening it a little with my wand.

"No. Not even the ends. It looks lovely normal."

"Fine." I replied grumpily. I wasn't going to argue. Lily knows a lot about stuff like this. Personally I don't really care all that much.

"Sort your face out." She commanded while she shoved me into a chair in front of her mirror.

"Can you pass me my foundation then? Yours is too dark." Yeah, alright. I know Lily is a ginger and her skin is pale but mine is ridiculous.

"What, you mean your snow?"

"Yeah, the snow. Don't take the piss." I mocked.

_**~~After (In Jennies opinion) 'hours' (fifteen minutes) of sitting whilst Lily attempts to dry Jennies hair~~**_

"I'm so jealous of you Jen, you know that?" Lily piped up suddenly. It made me jump. I dropped the bottle of 'Madame Muddiwater's sleek and shiny hair straightener' that I had been spraying on Lily's pet cat Bartholomew - I came up with that name! – so it spilt all over the floor, making the carpet turn a slightly pink colour.

"Wha- Why?" I sprayed, I had found some food in one of the drawers by her bed.

"Your eyes. I love them."

"My eyes? _My _eyes? Really Lily? They're grey! I'd much rather have yours, they're such a pretty green colour!"

"They are aren't they?" Came a cocky voice from the doorway.

I turned my head to see who it belonged to resulting in a lot of pain seeing as Lily was using some sort of heat charm to dry my hair and I got poked straight in the ear with the end of her wand.

I didn't need to look really though, I knew it belonged to James Potter.

"James? How the bloody hell did you manage to get here?" Lily asked.

"Now that, my little darling, would be telling. Now, the real reason I'm here is to ask you Lily, would you like to come to Hogsmeade with me?"

"OH, AND MIDGET CAN COME TOO IF SHE WANTS!" Came Sirius' muffled shout from the common room.

"Er, I'm sorry James but I'm going with Billie and Jake." She looked really awkward.

"AND I CAN'T COME SIRIUS! SORRY! I'M GOING WITH SOMEONE ELSE!" I yelled so he could hear.

"OH, ALRIGHT!"

James coughed, "Ahem. Well, yeah, I was just y'know, wondering. It's fine, really. See you about then."

And with that he left the room and I suddenly felt like I had just been intruding on something private.

I couldn't think of anything to say so I settled for -

"You so fancy him."

"I do not!" Was the reply I got. Well, what else was I expecting?

_**(Around about 9:30 am, yeah, Lily got Jennie up real early, on the way down to the entrance hall)**_

"I think I'm gonna have to employ you Lily, you know, as a personal stylist. My hair looks really nice! What did you do with it?"

Lily gave me an appraising look, "That's for me to know and you to ponder." She replied and continued walking.

"Aw, come on!" I moaned, jokingly and tugged on her sleeve.

"Alright ladies?" Came the cocky voice of none other than Jake Renn as he grabbed Lilly around the waist and began to tickle her.

He's such a flirt.

"Hi Jake." I replied whilst Lily stopped laughing.

"Hey Jennie. 'M glad I found you Lil's I've been looking for Billie all morning but I can't find her anywhere!" He started to explain.

"Oh, she said she needed to do something and that we should meet her in the Three Broomsticks. I was supposed to let you know because she couldn't tell you seeing as you were in detention. Sorry, I forgot." Lily apologised and continued walking.

"Ah, that's alright!" He said with a smile on his face, "You didn't mean to. I know what she's doing, I should have remembered. She told me a while ago."

Lily smiled, obviously not wanting to pry.

"Right, I'll meet you in a minute then Lily. The clock tower? I need to go and get some food."

And with that he continued jogging down the corridor, winking at a group of first year girls on his way.

I decided that now was the ideal time to voice my opinion, just as I do every time I see him.

"He's such a flirt." I said.

"Yeah, but he's a gorgeous flirt." Replied Lily, giggling.

"Now, now Lil's! He's your best friends boyfriend! You can't go perving on him!"

"I'm not! I'm just stating the facts! Don't say you weren't thinking it too!"

"Yeah, alright. You win." I said with a wink.

Wow, since when do I wink? That's Sirius' thing.

"Oi, Oi! My midget's looking hot today!"

Ohh, speak of the devil.

"Alright Sirius?" I remarked as the over excited teen bounced down the corridor and rested his arm around my shoulders.

"Nice hair Jen." He mumbled into my ear, It wasn't in his usual sarcastic tone either. He sounded, dare I say, serious.

"Off you get Sirius!" Lily ordered, pushing his arm down. "She's not your date!"

"She's not anyone else's either!" He laughed, going to put it back. But I squirmed out of the way.

"Ooh, rejection Pad!" Came Remus' voice, he was looking much better now, definitely not as rough.

"Ahahahaa, Sirius. It looks like Jennie is that rare type of girl that _can_ resist a bit of the old Black charm!" Blurted Peter, followed by a loud snort.

"So then," Came James' smooth tone, "He's gotta be good for you to be able to resist my dear Padfoot. Come on, spill it!"

I suddenly felt really embarrassed. Not like I usually do around them, I mean, they're my friends! My best friends. But now, I'm a little scared to give them an answer.

Lily came to my rescue, just like she should, by grabbing James by the arm and leading him off somewhere.

What she was going to do was beyond me but at least he wasn't annoying me anymore.

Peter kind of flaked off after James left and went to hang around with all the other people that were staying behind to revise.

Remus went off to find Stephanie because he had actually asked her to go to Hogsmeade with him and they were going early so as to avoid all the crowds.

Now I was just left with Sirius.

"Soooo..." I began, just to break the silence.

"Yeah, so." He said, as if to continue my sentence. "You've got a date then?" He asked, grinning.

Phew, the grin is back.

"Yeah, 's nothing special though. Not yet."

He put his hands into his pockets and continued to walk.

When we got to the Great Hall I poured myself and Sirius some Pumpkin juice and grabbed a bit of toast as I sat down.

"So what are you doing today then?" I asked.

He finished his mouthful of whatever and before replying.

"Ah, just re-stocking on some stuff with James and spying on Remus and Steph. You?"

As if you need to ask.

"Oh, I'm going to Hogsmeade. Just, yeah... the usual." I replied looking down at my plate.

"Jennie, who're you going with?" He asked, "I mean, it's all very well you don't want to tell James because he's a prat. But you're like, my best friend, you know you can trust me!"

He looked really stressed out and I knew that telling him that I was going with Charlie was just gonna stress him out even more. But then again, if I lied and told him-

"Charlie Lawson."

Idiot.

"You what?" He said, a bit of egg hanging from the corner of his mouth.

"Um, Sirius, you've got a bit of ah..." I said motioning towards his mouth.

He laughed, picked it off and flicked it at me.

"EWW!" I yelled giggling. I got up after flicking it back so that it didn't turn into a full blown food fight.

When I was sure he wasn't going to cover me in beverages I sat back down again, laughing.

"Now, that's how it should be." He said, smiling.

I frowned, "How what should be?"

"How _we_ should be." He replied, "Messing around and throwing egg at each other. Not prying into each other's business and trying to hide things."

I laughed, "Throwing egg at each other, indeed." I grinned at him.

What followed, was a very long and very awkward moment of both of us grinning at each other, until Sirius broke the silence.

"So, midget, we'd better go and find your 'date' then hadn't we? You don't wanna be late, after all, you have fancied him for like, ever." He laughed.

I gave him a strange look, "How does _everyone_ know this stuff?" I asked incredulously. Before saying, "Race ya'" And sprinting down the hall towards the doors.

_**(In the entrance hall)**_

"I win!" Sirius called to me as I picked myself up from the floor.

"Not fair!" I called back, "You tripped me up!"

"I got here first!" He laughed. Holding his hand out to me.

"Jennie's still the winner in my eyes." Came a smooth voice from behind us.

"Lawson." Sirius greeted.

"Hey Charlie!" I said, hugging him.

"You alright?" He asked, when he pulled away.

"Yeah, I'm good. So shall we go then?" I replied.

"Yeah, come on." He grabbed my hand and began to walk.

I quickly turned and shouted over my shoulder. "See ya' later Sirius!" Before twisting back and continuing to walk alongside Charlie.

_**(After the walk to Hogsmeade which, thankfully, was a lot shorter than the return to the castle last night. In the three broomsticks)**_

"Butterbeer?" Charlie asked as we sat down at a table.

"Please." I replied.

As he went up to the bar to go and get the drinks I thought about the earlier events of today. We had spent ages in Honeydukes, just because I had mentioned that there was a new type of sweet that I'd like to try and just about the entire population of Hogwarts was already queuing to get some and Charlie insisted that we weren't leaving until we got some. Then we'd gone to Zonko's and been ambushed by the Maraunders, we left there quite quickly.

Most of the conversation between us had been sharing old memories and laughing about how stupid we both were back in first year. Charlie had teased me about the time that I had been so scared to talk to him in Transfiguration that I had pretended that I had had a lip locking jink put on me, I was found out a little quick though, when someone had thrown a chair down on my foot and I had screamed "OW!" in front of the whole class. And I in turn had teased him about the time he tried to show off to the girl he fancied in second year by doing handstands on his broomstick mid match. That worked all right, until a bludger zoomed straight in to his face while he was upside down. He spent two weeks in the hospital wing after that...

He returned with the beers and sat down opposite me. We were in a quiet corner of The Three Broomsticks that had little booths running down the wall and a few tables in the middle area. Back at Hogwarts, all the students like to refer to it as 'couple's corner' because it's where most people go when they don't want people staring. There were only five other people there, two couples and one gooseberry... poor kid.

"Er Charlie..." I said, after taking a sip of butterbeer. I have to admit, it is my absolute favourite drink of all time... unless you count firewhisky but I've never drunk that before... much.

"Yeah, Jen." He asked, coughing a little. Bless him, he had a sore throat today and still insisted on staying in the village even when I offered to go back to the castle. It was also _freezing_ today. I didn't look out of the window before getting dressed... hence the shorts.

"Nice moustache."

He laughed and wiped his face with the back of his hand before stretching out in his seat and yawning.

"Keeping you up?" I asked, laughing.

"Yeah, there's nothing I'd like more than to leave you here and go to sleep. Missing out on all the rest of the time I can spend with you before you go getting drunk and do something stupid tonight at the Maraunder's 'first weekend party'." He looked down and began twiddling his thumbs. He obviously hadn't meant to say that.

"Ah..." I began, "Charlie, what exactly do you mean by 'do something stupid'?"

He coughed, "Well, sorry I didn't mean to say... Well you know, just the silly things that some people do when they're drunk... You know? It doesn't matter. Forget I bought it up."

"Uhuh... well I don't know why you're worrying anyway. You'll be there won't you? Everyone's invited. Well, apart from Slytherin, we don't want Snivellus and his gang sliming the place up." I raised my voice towards the end of my sentence and looked over at one of the other couples. They were a Slytherin pair, and they looked as if they were eating each other's faces.

Charlie sighed, "I'm not, I'm gonna get some sleep... I haven't got much lately, my dormitory has been particularly loud this week and I figured that they'll all be going so I'd catch a bit." He paused and took another gulp of beer. "Are you ever going to lay off of him?" he asked. His smile fading a little. He didn't look sad, or grumpy, or disappointed. He looked strangely amused.

"Lay off... Snape?" I asked, incredulously. "Snape?" I repeated, my mouth gaping.

"Yes, Jennie. Lay off Severus." Charlie responded. "Will you?"

"Why would I want to do that?" I asked. Not really understanding where he was coming from. I mean, Snape was alright sometimes... but he was only alright when Lily was around... when anyone else was near, especially James and Sirius, he was a complete arse!

"Because he's only human." Charlie answered again. His voice remaining at the same level of calmness that it had been when we were talking about anything else.

"Yeah, but so am I, and so are James, and Sirius... And whenever he sees us he hurls abuse!" I argued, frowning.

"I suppose... but if you think about it, it's usually James or Sirius who provoke the abuse. And really, he's not the worst of the Slytherins is he?"

"He definitely has the worst hygiene of all of them..." I replied.

Charlie smiled, and I began to breathe normally again. I was beginning to think he was mad at me...

"Yes, that one's a given. Lily likes him though... So he can't be all that bad." He replied, throwing the only comment that I couldn't answer straight off of my head.

I thought for a bit. "Well, Lily's never really spoken much to me about the relationship between the two of them... But she gets a little... a lot annoyed when I comment about him. For instance, I called him 'Sniv' the other day, just making a light joke with James, and she didn't talk to me until the next morning. There's alot I don't know about the pair..." I said, wondering why Lily never talked to me about him.

Charlie snorted into his butterbeer when I said 'Sniv'. I took this as an excellent opportunity to make fun of him. "Yeah, lay off him Charles!"

He gave me a look of mock hurt and said. "Name's not Charles, Jennifer."

I scoffed, "Name's not Jennifer either." I decided, at that moment, to have a drink. Because I had sat here looking at it for the last ten or so minutes.

So I moved my hand to find the glass. But instead of looking at what I was doing, my eyes decided to take that precise moment to get lost in the sea of coffe-ness that were Charlie's seeing devices. More commonly known as eyes. And my hand collided with the glass, sending it toppling over the edge of the table.

I stopped and blushed. "Way to ruin the moment eh?" I said, with a sheepish chuckle.

He however, didn't laugh. "It's not ruined until this happens." And then he kissed me.

He obviously wasn't sure of what my reaction would be, because he bought his face to mine and left so fast only lingering on my mouth for a split second. I only registered what had happened until he had straightened up and gone bright red.

I didn't speak for a little while until his blush had gone down a little. "What? Did you change your mind?" I asked, laughing.

He looked confused, "What? Seriously Jennie, sometimes I really wish you came with a translator..."

"I'll get that sorted." I grinned, "Anyway, I meant did you change your mind? Because one moment you were there and the next you were gone!" I said, still with a stupid grin on my face.

"Oh, no I didn't change my mind... as such. It was just like, I was sitting there, looking in to your eyes. And I was just thinking about what an idiot you can be sometimes."

I opened my mouth to complain but he cut me off, "Don't be offended, I think it's cute. Anyway, then you interrupted my thoughts by knocking your drink off of the table and confirming just how sweet I actually find you... Then, well I kissed you... and then I realised what I was doing and I suppose it came as a little bit of a shock to me because you've been my friend for so-"

"Charlie shut up." I said. I could tell that I was blushing madly and he was ranting again.

"Oh um... sorr-"

This time it was me who kissed him. But it lasted a little longer than the previous attempt.

It was a little awkward due to the table sized blockage between us but there were no falls or _knocking over of drinks _involved...

It was, I would describe it as, a sweet kiss. Not quite hitting romantic, but definitely not _'I'm completely smashed so what the hell'_ either.

When we broke apart Charlie smiled. "Better?" He asked.

"You ask that as if it was _your_ doing." I joked, grinning.

He finished off his butterbeer and glanced at the puddle on the floor. "I suppose you _won't_ be wanting that?" He asked.

I shook my head. "No, I'm not really in the mood for carpet cleaning today."

He nodded, "Right then. Well, I just need to use the loo but I won't be long. Then we can leave if you want?"

"No. I was planning on staying here for the next few hours until the conversation got so boring that we both started going slightly insane. Then I was going to go to sleep." I replied. "Oh and, if you need the toilet, you should probably go. Because I'm such a comedian that you probably won't last on the way back with a full bladder." I grinned.

He stood there, looking slightly bemused. "You're great you are." He said. "I'll only be a minute."

A while later he returned, holding his hand.

"Charlie what's happened?" I asked, light-heartedly.

"Oh, nothing much I just...cut... my hand..." He replied.

I grabbed his injured hand and bought it away from his chest. There was a long cut on it, about one and a half inches long and quite deep. The strangest thing about the cut however, was the fact that around the edges, was a series of small black dots. Almost like some grains of dust on a piece of parchment.

I had only ever seen cuts like this before, once... but I didn't want to jump to conclusions.

"I'm sure it's not that bad... it just looks it because of the blood." Charlie tried to reassure me.

"Hmm..." I answered. "Let's go see if Rosmerta has anything to put on it."

He perked up at the sound of Rosmerta's name. _All_ the boys at Hogwarts have a thing for Madame Rosmerta, land lady of the Three Broomsticks. I have to admit, she _is_ beautiful. No matter how much older she is.

After we had borrowed a bandage from Rosmerta's Medical cabinet... _"In case of a riot." _She had informed us. And secured it around Charlie's hand. We set off back to the castle.

_**(Back at the castle, in the entrance hall.)**_

"You should probably get that looked at." I advised, pointing towards Charlie's hand as we sat in one of the windows in the entrance hall.

"I'll go to the hospital wing later." He replied.

"Do you want me to come with you?" I asked, looking at him.

"No, I'll go when you lot are all partying away." He grinned at me and laughed.

"You sure?"

He nodded.

"Okay then." I sat there, swinging my legs against the stone wall shivering slightly.

"Jennie, thank you." Charlie said after what seemed like hours.

"Thanks for what?" I asked curiously.

"Thanks for today, it's been great." He said, grinning.

He wasn't looking at me, he was looking over at the far wall of the entrance hall. It was dark outside now, and I was watching how the light from the torches in the wall brackets licked over his face, emphasising different features. It was strangely relaxing.

When he turned his head to me I jumped and he laughed. "You're such a dozer."

"Hmm..." I said, as if I had actually registered what he had said.

"Come here, you're shivering." He held his arm out for me to shuffle over to him.

When I had moved he put his arm around me and gently pushed my head onto his shoulder. It was _so_ warm. And I felt safe, and comfortable.

"Hey, Jennie look." Charlie laughed quietly into my ear. I looked up and followed the direction of his pointing finger. In the archway leading off to the astronomy tower were three faces peering round the corner of the stone.

One had long fiery red hair, and the other two had messy black. One was grinning from ear to ear, one was looking at the red head and the other looked extremely annoyed and aggravated. Lily, James and Sirius.

I sighed, "I'll get them later."

"You can get them now if you want because I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave you. My hand is stinging a little more than a little now and I think I should get it looked at." Charlie said, lifting his injured hand so I could see it. The blood had now completely soaked through the bandage and was threatening to start dripping on the floor.

"Niiice." I replied. "Well then, Mr Lawson, I'll be seeing you soon I hope?" I asked, standing up and immediately feeling the cold of the hall hit me.

"Yeah, sure how about Defence against the Dark arts on Monday?" he laughed.

"That'll do." I grinned. And hugged him. "See ya then."

"Yep, bye." He replied, and made off down the corridor leading to the hospital wing.

I stood there grinning for a few more seconds before remembering my three stalkers in the doorway, who had emerged now and were standing in a line in front of me.

"Jennie, I know I told you now to argue with him, but I would have thought that you would have known better than to beat him up! What the hell did you do to his hand?" Lily asked, incredulously.

I laughed, "He cut it on something when he went to the loo. Rosmerta bandaged it up for him."

"Wow, that's brave." James cut in. "Introducing your date to Rosmerta... Risky." He received a punch from Lily for that.

"Well, midget. Let's leave the mothers meeting until tomorrow when you'll all have hangovers and plenty of time to talk. But right now." Sirius chipped in, grabbing me and hoisting me onto his back, piggy back style. "We've got a party to go to. Because really, what's a party without me and my midget?"

I rolled my eyes as he began walking.

"Oh, and there's firewhisky."

I shot a glance at Lily and then to James, and then back to Lily wiggling my eyebrows at her.

"Not a chance." She snapped, grinning all the same.


	8. Beatings, of a sort

**A/N - HOLY BALLS I AM BACK. Okay, well I've been writing another story but I'M BACK. I must admit, for a while, I had abandoned this. And I felt bad because when I was on holiday, I read back through it, and realised that I loved it and had to write more. So I did. :O **

**But I must say, SmileForFun and Timelord293 I love you both. Because it was you two who made me read through this again because I honestly thought people would have stopped reading it and that there was no point in carrying on. So I love you both lots and lots :)**

**Just to say, this chapter is mostly a filler, and a chance for me to re-acquaint myself with the story and characters, so it isn't the best in the way of a plotline :)**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer – If this belonged to me, then I would already have written the best series of books ever to be placed upon this planet and be a lot richer than I am now. But that's J.K.'s job.**

There was tumultuous applause when finally, Sirius Black stood up on top of one of the upturned armchairs in the Room of Requirement, wobbled a bit, and cleared his throat.

He was drunk. So much so, that drunk didn't really describe it. So far as to say that Sirius Black, was not the sort of person that you would give driving responsibility to at a party. Unless you had a death wish.

The drink had worn off well by now though, after he had been forced – by Peter and Remus – to spend a few hours away from everyone else in a room that contained water, a chair, and a bucket. And he could now string together some sane thoughts and sentences.

"My fellow students!" He cried, slurring his words slightly.

There was more applause.

"Ravendors, Huffleclaws and Gryffinpuffs!" He stammered "And the likes. I would like to thank you all for coming to this wonderfully organised party! And making it such a success!"

People cheered and hugged each other. Screaming and grinning stupidly in each other's faces. One Ravenclaw, Brian Hodges, even went as far as to projectile vomit straight into his girlfriends face.

"The party is now officially over for you Ravens and Badgers, and by that we mean that you are no longer being supplied music, alcohol or indeed this room. What you _are_ provided with however, is a fool proof way to make back to your common rooms without being caught by Pringle or indeed his bloody cat." He slipped a little on the chair and steadied himself before continuing. "These ways are the passageway to the left of the room for you Puffs, and the passageway to the right for the Claws. Have a nice evening!"

I raised my eyebrows from my seat at the back of the room. The alcohol must be having a strange effect on him, he had begun to talk like Remus. I hadn't drunk nearly as much as he, James or strangely Lily had. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen Lily since her seventh Firewhisky so who knows where she had gotten to. James, who – despite the copious amount of drink he had been throwing down his neck – was rather 'with it', was now re-directing the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws to the passageways _opposite_ to what Sirius had instructed, seeing as the left passage actually led to the Ravenclaw common room, _not_ the Hufflepuff one.

As I said, I hadn't drunk nearly as much as those three, in fact, compared to Lily's seven firewhisky's, James nine and Sirius' shocking new record of twelve firewhisky's, two butterbeers and three pumpkin juices _'just to wash it down' _my measley butterbeer and firewhisky sounded like nothing.

I wasn't complaining though, Sirius was enough of an example of what would happen if I did drink any more than I had. Okay, he had sort of developed an immunity to just one or two but twelve...

On the other hand, there's me. Who is hugging the nearest stranger after just three butterbeers... Yes, it's happened. And no, I'm not proud. Seeing as the 'stranger' happened to be Professor Dippet out for a stroll in Hogsmeade after school.

So, going back to the original matter, one butterbeer and one firewhisky was pretty risky for me, and as promised with this sort of stuff. I was quite tipsy.

Sirius was still going as the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs left the room. Not, I might add, without protesting and singing really loudly. Good job I'd soundproofed all of the passages before the party eh?

"All you Gryffindor party animals, you lot still have no more drink coming to you and no more music will be played here, but if you would like to all gather in the middle of the room then you shall shortly find yourselves lifted to your lovely warm beds. Whether you stay in them or not is your problem."

With that he jumped down off of the chair and I watched as the students from the three different houses took the instructions they had been given and began to shuffle off to their various destinations.

After ten minutes of shouts, singing and just general pandemonium. The room was finally clear.

Well, clear apart from the several passed out students and their friends who were desperately trying to move them to their specified exits. The Gryffindor pupils had all found themselves cleverly lifted up on one giant flying carpet that then proceeded to fly straight to the Gryffindor dormitories. Placing each student in their own bed. Not that many of them would probably be staying there.

I watched as Remus escorted two Ravenclaws to the passage whilst the rest of the remaining students slowly traipsed off to their separate exits.

I walked slowly to where the 'bar' had been, ie. Stacks of crates of various drinks and hundreds of cups and glasses lined up on tables. And poured myself a glass of water from a jug that was being kept behind the crates.

The water felt cold as I drank and turned to watch the 'clearing up' progress. Sirius was now kicking bottles across the floor at a wall and laughing loudly every time one of them shattered. Remus was magically tidying up all bits of broken glass and spilt drink until the room looked the same as it had when we had arrived.

I finished the rest of the water and stood up to go and stop Sirius making any more mess.

"MIDGET!" He exclaimed when I approached him and tapped him on the shoulder. Turning around and throwing his arms around me as if I was some long lost relative that he had been missing for years and years.

"Sirius!" I laughed, poking him in the sides to get him to release his grip.

I slipped a little, the floor over this part of the room was somewhat wet, and I wasn't wearing any shoes.

It wasn't that I had lost them or anything, it was just that I don't really like them all that much. I've been that way since as far back as I can remember, I used to run in bare feet, until I stepped on a thorn. And wore shoes after that. But as much as I can, I like to go anywhere, shoeless.

"Oops!" Sirius said, and caught me before I fell, "Floor's wet little one!" He said, laughing quietly.

I laughed too, for no good reason and replied with, "Just realised oh tall one!" and continued to laugh.

"Moony! Mate! Come here!" Sirius shouted to the now, only other occupant of the room.

Remus looked up and continued to clean, "No thank you Sirius. I'm not coming anywhere near you while you're like that." He said, matter-of-factly "You too Jennie."

"Aww, Moony, why're you being such a party pooper?" I asked, my head had now begun to feel funny and it made me want to laugh constantly.

Remus sighed and smiled at me, "You need to sit down Jen." He said, "Sirius, snap out of it and take her up to the common room will you? I'll sort this out." He said, turning to Sirius and looking at him sternly.

"Sure thing Moony." Sirius said, sounding more sober with every word. He was one to recover, stupidly fast. "Come on then Jen" He said, pushing me over to the Gryffindor 'chute'. I turned and saw Remus wave his wand to clear the rest of the rubbish off of the floor and then walk over to the crates of drink to get rid of them.

And then I felt like I was going to vomit.

When I could finally tell which bits were hands and which were feet again I sat up from where I had been on the floor, seemingly with Sirius right next to me in a room humming with students. The Gryffindor common room.

"You alright down there midget?" Called Sirius laughing and holding out a hand for me to grab.

I took it, "Never better." I replied, then grinned at him, "Think we'd better work on that journey for the next time." I smirked, "We don't want to deal with any more vomit than we have to." I added, casting an anxious glance around at the floor to check for any unwanted 'substances'.

I walked over to one of the armchairs by the fire and slumped in it. Briefly catching a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror over the blazing fire.

Then I stood up again to have another look.

My hair, previously looking so lovely after Lily had spent painstaking seconds doing some form of black magic to make it look less like a hedge, was sticking up in odd places and made me look like I'd just rolled out of bed. My face, was as pale as you could possibly imagine, I looked like I had a bed sheet stretched over my head.

I groaned and flopped back into the chair, bringing my knees up and resting my chin on them, watching the fire flickering.

The distant drabs of conversations flew around and over my head as I sat and watched the dancing flames and dozed off slightly.

I started when the chair jolted and I lifted my hair to see a group of grinning teenagers all sitting in the armchairs. Lily had been the cause of the jolt, she had jumped into the chair beside me.

"Well." Said Sirius, the alcohol seemed to have worn off now, he was completely normal. I on the other hand, still felt cloudy. "That was a good turnout wasn't it?"

Remus threw something at him and replied, "Honestly Padfoot? I find it hard to believe you expected any less."

"Of course we didn't Moony!" Threw in James "Face it." He continued, obviously going into a very long and very detailed description about something. James, often did such things, when it really wasn't necessary. "You have a party. Which, I may add, promises to be the most exciting, interesting and ingenious shindig you have attended all summer. This party also happens to be being thrown by the Marauders. Three, devilishly handsome, ludicrously hilarious and very, very mature... young men. And Peter. He's cute." He finished, winking at Peter who didn't seem to know how to take this.

He should just be glad that he was even in the Marauder gang. No-one else liked him.

Lily opened her mouth to speak. But James hadn't yet finished.

"And then you've got the guaranteed guests! You've got Jake Renn, Frank Longbottom, Arthur Weasley, Craig Allhope, the O'Konnell twins and anyone else who turns up for the ladies. And then for the gentlemen there's a whole selection!"

I frowned, this was something James would typically say, but still, it wasn't a very pleasant conversation.

"You've got Billie Bridges" There was a whistle from one of the boys who had joined our conversation, John Truer I think, he's a seventh year. "Lucie Edgeworth and Rachel Foyles." Someone laughed, and I had to agree. The poor girls, as lovely as they were, both seemed to have fallen out of the ugly tree at birth, hit every branch on the way down, and been thrown back up for a second run.

James continued, "The one and only Lily Evans." And he added his own wolf whistle here. Glaring around afterwards. Daring anyone else to try.

Once he was suitably satisfied that no-one would try and 'woo' Lily he rounded off his speech with. "And the midge over there." He said, waving a lazy hand over towards me as I waved at him.

I was slightly taken aback when I heard a few small whistles at the mention of me, but none quite matching Sirius' standing ovation consisting of whoops, clapping and whistling.

I laughed along with everyone else and shook my head, waiting for James to finish his speech.

The speech ended with James cracking a few awful jokes and then being roughly tackled into his chair by Sirius, drawing a few wolf whistles and jibes that the pair both brushed off easily.

The next morning was just as Sirius had described, I had a brilliant hangover and was sprawled out on the common room floor, asleep, when everyone got back from breakfast.

The first thing that noted me of my whereabouts was a sudden pain in my lower back and I looked up to find Sirius Black, standing next to my head whilst he laughed at someone who was standing on me. James probably.

"Get off." I growled as I blinked my eyes into focus for a second time, and I felt the pain lift as James stepped off of me. I rolled over onto my back and looked up at the two boys standing over me.

"Guess what day it is Jen?" James chirped happily. Annoyingly.

"Sunday..." I stated, groggily.

"Wrong!" James shouted, "It's tryout day!" he continued, singing the words excitedly.

"And we bought you breakfast." Sirius joined in, "Something to wake you up." He finished, and tipped a glass of water right onto my face.

Spluttering I sat bolt upright and opened my mouth to insult the pair of them. Instead, a slice of toast with honey on the top was shoved into my mouth and I was grabbed under the armpits and pulled up onto my feet.

As soon as I had finished the slice of toast a cup of orange juice was shoved into my hand and I drank it.

"Right..." I began, looking from one giggling boy to the other, "well, now I'm fed and... Does this count as washed? Anyway, now I'm fed and washed, I should probably go and get my Quidditch gear on."

"It's right behind you, go ahead." Sirius said, wiggling an eyebrow.

"You wish." I replied, whipping the gear from behind me, "You go ahead, I'll catch you up on my way down." As they begin to walk off I mutter loudly things like _"Tryouts after a party... Bloody idiot." "How am I supposed to get on the team now?" _

I finally catch up with the pair as they are just reaching the pitch, and knock the both of them round the back of the head with the splintering handle of my battered, but dearly loved, shooting star broom.

"And the midget has arrived," Sirius announces, spinning on his heel and dragging me over to a huge, extremely varied, group of team hopefuls, whilst saying to James, "Right behind you mate."

Not that James needed any support.

"Alright you lot! Listen up!" He called across the grounds. Immediately the crowd fell silent.

"I want Chasers over there," He showed a segment to the far right, with his arms, "Keepers there", The middle part, "Seekers in front. And beaters there." He gestured to the left, and Sirius dragged me over.

Now, I guess I should explain why I am trying out to be a Beater this year after making my mark on the team as a, even if I do say so myself, rather spectacular chaser. There really is no reason, other than that Sirius threatened to curse my hair off if I didn't. He seems to think that if we were both beaters, then _'we would be the best beaters that Gryffindor has ever seen.' _So I agreed, because after all, James knows I'm a good chaser anyway.

"So," James said, once everyone had moved into their groups. It was clear that James had not planned this at all. "How about we start you off with each group flying around the pitch once, finishing with a dive back down to me. Chaser's you're up!"

The group of chasers was about fifteen people large, and out of that, only about seven of them looked as though they knew which way round a broomstick actually flew.

Only five of that seven managed to actually make the route and finish on their feet without, in one case, seeming to be surprised to be on a broomstick and clutching the broom forcing it into a dive. Or making the route but misjudging the dive seriously and carving a half metre deep trench in the pitch.

However badly the chaser hopefuls seemed, James kept every one that didn't maim themselves after making the route for the remainder of the tryouts and sent the other ten away to sit in the stands.

The Beaters were next, all twenty seven of us.

Though, the number dropped rather rapidly, due to the fact that six people hadn't brought brooms, three boys had just begun a fight and four of the girls were from Ravenclaw. As much as I would have truly loved to wind him up further, I suppressed a laugh when James slapped both of his hands over his face in disbelief before screaming for them all to leave before he hexed bludgers to target them, because I'm a great friend.

The remaining fourteen of us completed circuit pretty well, only one person misjudged the dive, and that was a fourth year boy that was so large that his broomstick practically disappeared when he mounted it. Sirius and I took the whole thing as a race and, in doing so, finished while the rest of the group were only just contemplating coming back down to earth.

James picked five people out of the crowd, ones that he said, "Looked the least stupid" which was probably a lie, because Sirius and I were both picked, and we definitely looked like complete arses, and ordered us to stand with the potential chasers.

Looking around our group made me feel even smaller than usual. Aside from me and Sirius, there were two, severely muscled, ridiculously tall seventh year boys, who literally looked as though they could crush a skull under their baby fingers. The fifth hopeful was a tall, athletic looking girl with a sharp angled, strikingly pretty face, and messy, boyish, jet black hair.

"You look like a first year compared to us lot midge." Commented Sirius quietly as James sent the surprisingly small group of Seeker hopefuls up, after the six Keepers had all showed pretty good broom skills and only one had been sent away.

"I look normal," I retorted, "You lot are freaking giants." I mumbled, as the girl laughed at my answer. She seemed nice enough, I couldn't bring up any memory of seeing her around, maybe she sticks to the library. That would explain alot, seeing as I'm usually banned whenever I go in.

The three seekers that had tried out were all exceptional flyers, all three of them executed the dive perfectly and finished the route almost as quickly as Sirius and I.

Because James was only looking for two chasers, himself being the third, he decided that they would be the best to start off with.

He ordered the beaters to fly up into a circle and hit bludgers at the passing chasers as they dodged, passed the quaffle between them and shot it at one of the goal posts.

This actually proved to be an extremely useful practice for both James' judging and my beater skills. I now realise that I probably should have practiced a little more than messing around in the orchard behind James' house with a rounder's bat and rocks.

However, although my aim isn't as perfect as I would have liked, it is still a damn sight better than the two trolls that hit the bludgers so hard they could quite easily go straight through one of the chasers if they weren't being hit about half a pitch's length away from any of them. Sirius, who is well known for his skill as a beater, has knocked one chaser clean out of the air, after said chaser audibly muttered something insulting about James.

James called us back to the ground and made Sirius and I turn around until our fits of laughter at the chaser shaped skid marks on the muddy earth, were over.

"Right, Digby and Hornwal I want you two on the team." James said bluntly to the four remaining. A girl, Rosalie Digby, as tall as James with long blonde hair and a lean looking boy, Dean Hornwal, with curled, messy auburn hair and a striking pair of electric blue eyes, both grinned and let out breaths of suspense.

"What about the third chaser, idiot?" A burly sixth year with a prominent nose asked, in a derogatory tone.

James whirled around at him, "That's me, moron." He said, matter-of-factly, and the sixth year shut up and stalked off, the other downtrodden looking hopeful trailing behind him.

For the Keepers, Digby, Hornwal and James went up and pelted two quaffles at each keeper in quick succession.

Only two of the keepers managed to block every single one of the shots by Rosalie and Dean, who were proving James correct in his choice already, both of them were spectacular and worked like clockwork as a team. And out of those two, one of them managed to block one of James' shots, which is quite a respectable feat.

The keepers all congratulated each other and the second best one was made a reserve.

Finley Godkins, seventh year, tall, muscled yet slight boy with sandy blonde hair was made keeper and his grin was so wide you could have mistaken him for a post box.

James decided that the beater trials were going to be last, in hope that a few people would have cleared off by that time and there were less potential casualties, so we all watched as the three seeker hopefuls twisted and dived in order to catch the snitch in the shortest time.

Each one of them was excellent, catching the snitch in under five minutes, but one, a fourth year girl, very small, with a styled, messy brown bob haircut, and sharp cheekbones, who managed to catch the snitch in under a minute after performing an impressive somersault following the flying ball.

James stood open mouthed as she drifted back towards him on her broom, grinning.

"Well, you're in." James said to her immediately, then, "You two are both reserves," To the two boys that had tried out, "Bloody brilliant, both of you."

That made them both leave the pitch with huge grins.

"Right." Said James with a deep breath, "You're up you lot. I want you to aim at the targets," He waved his wand in the air and five wooden targets appeared floating above the pitch. "And then I want you to move around the opposing team player, working with your partner," A straw stuffed person shaped thing appeared floating behind the targets. "Then I want you to hit the bludger back across the pitch _towards the forest _as hard as you can so I can get an idea of your range."

Sirius smirked, he knew he had this in the bag, he was the most accurate out of all of us and he could hit a bludger well over twice the length of the pitch.

"Brockes. He called to the girl with the black hair, who had been left alone when the other four of us had partnered up "You can go with whoever you want, as a three."

She let out a visible groan and walked over to the muscle men, "Come on then meat heads." She said, as they mounted their brooms.

As the three of them flew it was clear that her skill far outshone theirs and she hit three out of the five targets before taking the scarecrow full in the stomach and hitting the bludger to the opposing goal posts. All of them seemed extremely happy as they reached the ground.

Sirius started to grin and ordered me on to my broom so we could do our rounds, and I have to say, once we had landed, I was pretty proud of myself.

I hit four out of targets before Sirius and I managed to take the scarecrow's head clean off, probably not the best idea when you're playing against humans but it'll do, and then I somehow managed to hit the bludger about 50 metres past the opposing goal posts. As a little show to James we also decided to hit the bludger between us for a while until it nearly took out my arm.

As we reached the ground, Sirius guffawing at my near injury and me getting ready to smash my bat around his head, it was clear that James had already dismissed the other two beater hopefuls as alot of shouting and crashing could be heard from the quidditch shed.

"Sirius, Jen. You two work brilliantly as a team. You're the beaters." James said, then added, "But if you arse around or annoy me too much then you'll be swapped immediately with Cara here, because she is bloody fantastic too." He turned to her, she didn't look upset that she hadn't been made a first on the team, in fact being made a substitute had actually brightened her expression, "That alright with you?"

"Great," She grinned, "Really great, thanks." She said to James, "See you around then." She bade to us and walked away.

"And I want all subs at practices!" James yelled at her and the two seekers that he had kept. They had been part of the small crowd that had stayed in the stands to watch the rest of the tryouts.

James turned to grab the quaffle and slam it into the chest along with the struggling bludgers and the snitch. "You two, bring the bats will you?" He ordered at me and Sirius so we collected up the bats and straggled after him. By the time we had reached the shed, I was covered, head to toe, in mud. As a result of Sirius Black's existence.

"Sirius," I breathed as I ran to the door, shoving him into James, "I hate you."

"I know midget." He retorted as James took the bats from him and tapped him on the head with one, "OW." He exclaimed before continuing, "But obviously we're such 'brilliant team workers' it doesn't even matter." He said, putting emphasis on 'brilliant team workers' to annoy James.

"You really took that seriously didn't you _Captain_?" I teased, as we trudged, or in my case, squelched, back up to the castle.

"Of course I did Jen," James replied, throwing his arm around my shoulders, getting himself considerably muddy. "I couldn't not have! To think, if I had done any less than that, old Minnie's reputation could have fallen into disrepute!" He said, his tone getting ever more 'admirable' as he progressed "Gryffindor house might have been a laughing stock!". "Mind you," He added as a side note, "She's gonna throw forty fits when she see's that I've paired you with Sirius as a beater. She'll be requesting that spectators wear shield cloaks. Especially the Slytherins." He finished, with a hopeful tone to his voice.

"We're not going to do that Prongs." Said Sirius, seriously. "We want Gryffindor to win this as much as you, McGonagall or bloody Godric himself do." He clapped a hand to James' back.

"That's right." I chipped in, "No arsing around from us on the Quidditch team." I smiled at him as we reached the castle doors.

James stopped, "Just a little bit." He said, "I couldn't be serious all the time." He laughed.

"I am." Stated Sirius, and the three of us laughed as we made our way up to the Gryffindor common room.


	9. Beatings of a different sort

**A/N – Well, you know that order I was on about in my last A/N? It didn't work... Because I've got a bit of a – major – block on 'The Quarter Quell' at the moment.**

**I suppose I should also apologise about the appallingly long time it has taken me to write and post this chapter too... So, sorry:)**

**Thank you to you wonderful people who are reading this and thank you to Shaybo27, iwantsprezzatura, Edward Haters, Georgetteb321, textingfreak22 and thesilverdoealways for being great on the last chappie and anyone else who has ever read, followed, alerted, favourited, reviewed for the whole story. **

**I hope I replied to everyone's reviews... I'm really crap at being punctual and efficient. Not that you've noticed... Heh...**

**Aaaanyway, ENJOY**

****Disclaimer: Jo owns this work, I'm merely playing with her lego.****

Never, in my whole time at Hogwarts, had I been more completely terrified than I was when I woke up on the day of our first match of the year.

Granted, practices had been outstanding and absolutely no-one proved James wrong in his choice of the team. But the thought of playing as a beater in my first real match, discounting those when Sirius and I had beaten up some of James' relatives over the summer holidays, had me petrified between my bedsheets.

I lay awake in the dark of the morning for about three hours, my biggest movement being when I closed my eyes to fool Lily in to believing I was asleep so she wouldn't wake me as the other occupants of my dormitory all traipsed downstairs to breakfast. Excitedly, and loudly, talking about how they were looking forward to my beater debut.

"Jennie?" Came a soft voice from the dormitory doorway.

I groaned and rolled over so my back was to whoever stood there.

"Jen" The voice said, more seriously as its owner realised I was awake.

"What?" Came my short response, muffled by my duvet.

"You don't want Sirius and James thinking that you're actually scared do you?" Said Remus, as he approached my bed and perched himself on the end of it.

"I don't suppose you're going to tell me how the hell you lot get up here, are you?" I replied, sitting up and pushing my hair out of my face so I could see him.

"No," He said, with a laugh, then "I never thought girls were this untidy." He stated, looking around the dump of a room.

"Most of it's me," I replied, kicking a pile of clean underwear under my bed as I stood up. "Me and Steph." I added, nodding towards Stephanie's bed, which today played host to several empty ink pots, two quills, one huge ink stain and six unfinished essays. On the floor surrounding her bed were various food wrappers.

"Blimey," He exclaimed, a huge grin spreading over his face as he took in Stephanie's mess. I quickly remembered _his_ bed, the neatest area in the whole dormitory, and laughed.

What a match.

I didn't think it kind to let on that I knew about his feelings towards her though, so instead I grabbed my quidditch kit and some clean underwear and went in to the bathroom to change.

* * *

><p>Once I had changed, Remus and I headed down to the Great Hall to grab a bit of breakfast before the team was required, at James' orders, to attend a briefing in the changing rooms before the match.<p>

The team was easily distinguishable as they sat in the hall. The usual excited hush lingered in the air, so it wasn't difficult to hear James' muttering of "And here she is, finally, she'd better have a bloody good reason for this."

And Sirius' retort of "Alright mate, she's probably bricking it even more than you, calm down."

"You've got that right." I backed as I carefully sat in the space made between the seeker, Lyra Thomas, and keeper, Finley Godkins. Godkins looked confident and ready for the game, whereas Lyra's spoon was clashing with her bowl as she held it.

"Morning Midge." Greeted Sirius, shoving a plate with toast and jam on it towards me with a cup of pumpkin juice, "Sleep well?"

"Mmm" I replied, my mouth full of toast, "great thanks..."

"Ready for the match?" Godkins asked from beside me, after wiping ketchup from the corner of his mouth with a napkin.

My stomach squirmed. To be perfectly honest, the only times I had actually been thinking about the match over the past few weeks had been at practice and this morning. And one very important bit of information had slipped my mind. "Mm yeah... Remind me," I said clearly, "who are we playing again?"

I swear, in that moment, James was going to stab me with his fork.

But then my question was answered by the rise in the general noise level in the hall and as I looked towards the doorway my heart hit the ground and kept on going.

The Slytherin team, each looking annoyingly confident swaggered in to the Great Hall and took a reserved space at their table, acting today as though they were gods among vermin, no different to usual.

I thumped my forehead down on to the table and groaned. Slytherin's beaters were Yaxley and Mulciber, Yaxley a giant, who could probably throw a good punch at even Hagrid. And Mulciber only recently released from the hospital wing with a patchy re-growth of hair, holding a vengeance for me that would probably shine through on the pitch.

"Jennie, finish your toast." I heard James say as I raised my head. "The rest of you follow me for the briefing."

The team all got up and followed James out of the hall to cheers from the Gryffindor table and jeers from the Slytherins. Only Sirius stayed to wait for me.

"So you really _are _bricking it then?" He said, teasing.

"Uhuh." I replied, stuffing another bite of toast in my mouth.

"You have nothing to worry about." Sirius said, reassuringly, "Apart from the fact that if he can, Mulciber will definitely kill you." He continued, mocking seriousness as his expression slowly changed.

A light tap on my shoulder made me jump and realise why.

"Hey Charlie." I said, tugging on his sleeve to encourage him to sit down next to me. He complied and put his arm around my shoulders as he did. I noticed that, like many other Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, he was wearing the Gryffindor colours of Red and Gold.

"Lawson." Sirius greeted, managing a smile, for which I was grateful.

"You feeling alright?" Charlie asked as he stole a crust from my plate and took a bite from it.

"Scavenger," I teased, "And if you count on the verge of vomiting as alright then I'm just great."

"You'll be great." He replied, "Especially with Sirius as your partner, you two will be unbeatable."

Sirius looked at Charlie, "Thanks Lawson" He replied, pulling the end off of a sausage and popping it into his mouth. "How's your hand?"

Charlie lifted his hand off from around my shoulders and held it out so that Sirius could see. The bandage that Madame Pomfrey had applied in the hospital wing had now been taken off and the cut seemed to have cauterised now, but it didn't look as though it was getting any better. The cut still looked as fresh as it had on the day that he had cut it four weeks ago, minus the flowing blood.

And the tiny dots were still there.

"That," Sirius said, putting down his juice, "Is one manky looking cut."

"I thought Madame Pomfrey was treating it?" I asked, looking up at him, telling myself that I was confused that the wound wasn't healing. When really, this was just how I had seen before.

"She is," He replied, "Or, she's still looking at it every day, she says she's never seen anything exactly like it before." He put his hand on my leg and out of sight. "I suppose it'll just heal up in its own time."

"Probably." Sirius mused before standing up. "Anyway, come on midge, we've got a game to win!" He announced, gesturing for me to get up. "Let's go and get a bollocking from Jamesy-poo."

I laughed and stood up, Charlie standing beside me, and clambered out from the bench.

We walked to the doors to the entrance hall, with the occasional cheer or good luck wish from the Gryffindor table and Lily, who came to hug me and tell me to be careful, and then I turned to Charlie. "Have fun watching." I joked grinning, and kissed him quickly on the mouth before following Sirius through the entrance hall.

"Oh have fun watching me ride my broomstick Charlie! Oh kiss me Charlie! Mmm..." Mocked Sirius in a high pitched voice, making kissing faces and noises.

"Oh shut up." I laughed and hit him.

* * *

><p>"Where the hell have you two been?" James burst out as Sirius and I crept in to the tactic talk in the changing rooms.<p>

"I'm a slow eater?" I tried, smiling at the ever increasing anger shown on James' face.

"Especially when her boyfriend's around." Sirius grumbled, poking me in the back to get me to move along so we could sit down.

"Doesn't matter anyway, what matters is this match. Now if we lose, and I'm pretty sure we won't, but if we do, we're going to be training longer and harder and much more often." The whole team groaned. It had only been four weeks since the people in this room became the quidditch team, but in those four weeks we had left every practice feeling as though every bone in our bodies had been broken and every muscle ripped in two.

"Now, Slytherin play dirty. That's a fact. So, if we want to beat them we're going to need more than just our ridiculously skilled team." At this, Finley, Rosalie and Lyra all straightened up and grinned. "We're going to need the eye for an eye strategy. An eye for two eyes for all I care. Just don't get yourselves killed or sent off." I had to laugh at that. The only time I had ever seen anyone get sent off in a game of Quidditch was when Remus and I went to watch the world cup one year, much to James' annoyance, Finland VS Belarus. And one of the Finnish players decided that the best strategy to distract the opposing team players was to strip butt naked and perform hip thrusts whilst standing on his broom. And he was only sent off because someone from the stands set his chest hair on fire.  
>"You two." James directed at Sirius and I, "Try and knock Dimitrov off of his broom."<p>

Annolus Dimitrov was the Slytherin seeker. Obviously from a rich, stuck up family on account of his name, and possibly the dirtiest Quidditch player I had ever witnessed. If he decided to wipe Lyra out of the equation, she wouldn't be playing for long.

"Got it captain." Sirius said, seriously.

"Right," Finished James, "I think that's it. Now, let's kick some arse."

* * *

><p>As we stepped out on to the pitch, the roar of the crowd was deafening. Sirius, James, Finley and I were used to it, and the familiarity of it settled me, and all of the nerves disappeared. All of us having been on the team in former years, albeit in different positions for Finley and I. Both of us had been chasers on the last team with James, and we had worked together faultlessly.<p>

The Slytherin team had already walked out before us and were now standing in the middle of the pitch. As we reached them and got in to our starting positions, Madame Colfe, the soon retiring flying instructor, declared that she wanted a _"clean game from both sides" _I heard Sirius snort loudly and saw Yaxley nudge Mulciber whilst glaring at me. I swallowed quickly, knowing that this was going to be interesting.

When the whistle blew we soared up in to the air and I had to make a dive within about a minute as I dropped my bat whilst messing around with it in mid air.  
>Conditions for this match were ok, there was no bright sunlight which was good, but there was quite a strong wind which toyed with all of us, swaying us from side to side. However, within five minutes, the score was 20:10 to Slytherin.<p>

"Jennie!" I heard Dean shout from behind me about ten minutes in, as he zoomed past and put the Quaffle straight through the Slytherin hoops before the keeper even realised. I turned to see Mulciber smash a bludger straight at my broom. Letting out a short laugh I moved upwards and swung my bat at the bludger, changing its direction and sending it straight in to the handle of one of the Slytherin chaser's broomsticks.

"Nice one midget!" I heard Sirius call as he flew past me, dodging a disgruntled looking Yaxley as he chased him. Yaxley seemed to have given up on hopes of hitting Sirius with a bludger and was now tearing after him, taking swings at him with his bat.

I quickly located one of the bludgers and tore after it, rounding and whacking it at Yaxley. It missed him, but flew through the gap between him and Sirius, throwing him off course.

After another twenty or so minutes, the score had risen to 60:40 to Gryffindor.

James and Rosalie flew around me, throwing the Quaffle between them and tiring out a Slytherin chaser. "GET" James shouted as he slammed the chaser out of the way and threw the Quaffle back to Rosalie, "DIMITROV."

"Right." I mumbled to myself as I flew up high above the stands to search for the Slytherin seeker. I found him quickly, his stupid black hair billowing out behind him like a stupid black cape. He and Lyra were both in a dive, and Lyra was in front of him. Suddenly he reached out his hand to grab the end of her broom but she was a little out of his range, I had to act now or Lyra was going to be in the hospital wing later.  
>Luckily, just at that moment, Mulciber pelted a bludger straight at me. As I straightened myself up I caught a glimpse of Lily and the rest of our dormitory, Peter, Remus, Billie, Jake and Charlie all in the stands cheering as the bell went to signal that Gryffindor had scored again.<p>

The bludger reached me and I put every effort I could in to smashing it straight at Dimitrov. Thankfully, this was one of my more accurate shots and the bludger came in to contact with the exact centre of Dimitrov's back, causing him to flex in to quite a disgusting shape before crumpling and falling the ten feet that was left between himself and the ground.

I could hear the commentator, Dylan Norland, a sixth year Gryffindor, commenting on the event "Now, that was quite an underhand move from Gryffindor beater Smith but it's always nice to see the tables turned on Dimitrov, if we'll all just take a moment to remember the 'accident' involving his broom handle and the ear of- but wait, is that the snitch in the new Gryffindor seeker's hand? It is?" I turned my back to the commentator's box and squinted down at Lyra, she was flying low now, and had her fist held up in the air. "Lyra Thomas has caught the snitch! GRYFFINDOR WINS!" Shouted Dylan as the stands erupted.

I cheered and clapped, feeling so proud of Lyra, I knew James would be ecstatic. I turned to see the happy reactions of Lily and everyone in the stands but when I looked over, the group was not cheering, but pointing behind me and screaming something unintelligible. Quickly I turned around, and saw Mulciber and Yaxley floating in the air some forty feet away from me, both smirking. Then I saw the bludgers, both of them, flying at me. I turned and began to speed away from the balls, but they were faster than me. And although one of them sped straight past, only grazing my elbow, the second crashed in to my shoulder with a weird squelching sound and a sudden searing pain.

Luckily not losing control of my broom, I directed it down to the ground where Sirius and James stood, hurling obscenities at the Slytherin beaters. Trying desperately not to faceplant once my feet hit the ground I ran forward a few steps and awkwardly hopped off of my broom.

It took a while for James and Sirius to reach me as the crowds, eager to congratulate the team on their victory, spilled on to the pitch surrounding each team member and clapping them on the back, hugging them, pumping their arms and shouting things that just got lost in all the noise. I didn't have the heart to shake them off when hands were beating down on my shoulders as cheering students congratulated me on the team's success.  
>Soon enough, just as the pain was becoming slightly unbearable someone began to clear a space around me and I sat down on the muddy grass of the pitch.<p>

"Alright Midge?" Came Sirius' tired voice from above me and there was a dull sort of thud as he too sat down in the mud.

"Just peachy." I replied, grinning at him. For some reason he had mud smeared on his cheeks in the style of red-Indian war paint and a lipstick kiss mark on his forehead. I had to laugh.

"Hospital wing'll love you," Said James, disentangling himself from a large group of third year Hufflepuff girls, "That's two patients on your account so far this year."

"Oh my God you complete idiot." Charlie's voice came, as he pushed his way through the crowd, followed by Lily, Remus, Billie and Jake.

"I'm fine, thanks for your concern Charles." I called, teasing him as I hauled myself to my feet.

He pulled me in to a hug, before a sudden intense stab of pain made me awkwardly twist and sort of crumple in to him. He steadied me, laughing and motioned Sirius to come and help hold me whilst they began to march me off of the pitch, followed by the team and the group of friends that had barged through to meet us.

* * *

><p>"It's a nasty one," Madame Pomfrey said, bustling around my bed and taking lids off of various jars of ointment and sniffing the contents, wrinkling her nose at most of them and replacing the lids quickly. "Your shoulder bone is completely shattered." With this she poked at my bare shoulder and I watched as her finger quite clearly, painfully and unsettlingly moved something. Lily, Billie, Rosalie and Lyra all of whom were watching the proceedings with mild disgust, each screwed up their faces at the sound it made.<p>

"Can we come in yet?" Sirius whined from outside of the white curtains that surrounded the bed, keeping out James, Sirius, Remus, Jake, Charlie, Finley and Dean, who had also all decided to stay and wait until Madame Pomfrey had come to a verdict. But as she decided that the only way to get a proper look at the injury was to have me sit without my shirt on, they were all made to wait outside of the curtain, much to Sirius' over dramatic disappointment.

"No," Billie shouted through the divide at him, "Unless you want a good beating from her _boyfriend_." She put extra emphasis on the word 'boyfriend', and we could hear Sirius make a grunting sound as he obviously bit back some sort of comeback.

Madame Pomfrey finally seemed to have found the correct Jar of ointment- a thick, brown paste, vaguely reminiscent of the dung that had covered me on my journey to Hogwarts. "Luckily for you," She announced, digging a large blob of the stuff out of the jar with her hand "I can fix it in a few hours if you hold still and it'll just leave you with a small bruise." She slapped the substance on to my slightly deformed shoulder, not sparing any force or pain as she roughly rubbed it in, repeating this a good five or six times until my shoulder was about an inch thick in the brown sludge.

"Beautiful." I remarked at my shoulder, which smelt slightly like my brother's sock drawer.

"Well don't knock it." Madame Pomfrey shot back, "It'll only take longer..." She shook her head as she screwed the lid on to the jar and collected her other things.

"Oh great, it has feelings now does it?" I asked incredulously as Pomfrey lifted her wand out of her pocket.

"I'll come and see you in three hours to put a new coat on, don't be surprised when this lot absorbs in. Put that gown on, and then we can let the rabble in." She waved her wand at the gown beside my bed and it floated upright whilst one of the sleeves ripped off at the left shoulder and left through the overlap in the curtains.

"That's dignified." Lily giggled from beside me as I used one arm to pull the thing over my head, trying my hardest to not smear the sludge everywhere in the process.

Once I had managed to climb in to the gown and settle back on the bed with the help of Rosalie and Lyra, Billie pulled back the curtains to reveal a bored looking bunch of friends and a muddy half of a Quidditch team.

"You've looked better." James remarked as he pulled up a chair next to my bedside table.

"You haven't." I replied. This made him consciously drag a hand through his hair, even though he knew I was joking. He had mud matted in to one half of his hair and a little bit of blood spattered on his cheek, probably from a tussle with one of the Slytherin chasers.

"How long have you got in here then?" Jake asked, he was playing with a bit of Billie's hair as he talked and it really was quite adorable.

I shrugged, then regretted it, which set Sirius off laughing at the weird noise I made. "Not really sure, Madame Pomfrey said it should take a few hours. But then she said she's re-applying some more of this stuff in three hours because it's going to get absorbed or something..." I explained. The very thought of it made me squirm.

"Sounds... Pleasant" Jake replied, pulling a face.

Throughout the next two and a half hours of conversation, Rosalie, Finley, Jake, Billie, Lyra and Dean all left and a series of groans and grumbles were being omitted from the far side of the hospital wing. I had ignored it up until now, but finally it got to me.

"Will someone shut that up?" I impatiently snapped, interrupting a heated debate between the boys over the importance of an umpire in a quidditch game. Sirius and James seemed to think that an umpire merely caused an unnecessary delay on possible goals and tackles, whereas Remus and Charlie were getting rather wound up stating that without an umpire, people like James and Sirius would kill other players.  
>The whole group turned around to look over to the source of the noise.<p>

In the bed on the opposite wall was a shirtless Dimitrov, sitting up and groaning and coughing up blood in to a cauldron. Quite a grim sight.

"Maybe you hit that bludger a bit hard..." Said Charlie from his seat on the end of my bed, looking at the heaving Slytherin with a furrowed brow.

"Or not hard enough..." Muttered Sirius on my left side. Over the afternoon various people had been visiting the hospital wing to tell me to get better soon and give me gifts, mainly consisting of food, as rewards for my assault on Dimitrov. And over the afternoon Sirius had eaten almost all of the food I had received, and he was now feeling very sick.

Mercifully, Madame Pomfrey also seemed to have grown tired of the noise, and she suddenly marched over to Dimitrov's bed. "Could you _please_, do that quietly Mr Dimitrov? Or do I have to send you elsewhere?" she threatened angrily.

In response to her, Dimitrov coughed and retched again and more blood dropped in to the cauldron which Madame Pomfrey snatched out of his grip and dipped the end of a wooden spoon in to the contents.

"You're fine for treatment now." She said, "lay on your stomach."

The grimacing Slytherin moved to lay down but coughed and spewed blood all over the white bed sheets.

"Into the cauldron _please_ Mr Dimitrov!" The matron stressed, putting the cauldron back in front of his face.

The Slytherin made some sort of exasperated noise and lay on his front, exposing a brilliant, huge green and purple bruise where the bludger had crunched into him.  
>Madame Pomfrey stabbed the bruise hard with the end of her wand, drawing a high pitched yelp from Dimitrov which made me snort with laughter. But then the whole bruise began to recede and vanish from his back, and with a nasty clicking noise and a strange jolting curl of his back, Dimitrov seemed to be healed.<p>

"You can go now." Madame Pomfrey said, waving her wand and clearing away the bloody sheets and cauldron. Dimitrov smirked in our direction and pulled his shirt on before stalking out of the hospital wing. "Right... Who's next?" the matron muttered to herself whilst placing some vials into a holding rack. She always seemed busy. "Mr Lawson," She called over to Charlie who was just in the middle of joining in James and Sirius' overt insulting of the Slytherin team. "Let's have a look at that hand while you're here."

Charlie left the group to be taken to a few chairs where he sat and waited whilst Madame Pomfrey prodded his hand with her wand and pondered out loud to herself.

"That's gross" Remus commented, snapping my attention back to the group around my bed, he nodded at my shoulder which I had declined to look at since the end of the first hour. Unwillingly I peered at it now, wishing I hadn't. The brown stuff had all been... well there really was no other way to put it... absorbed. And the skin on my shoulder was rippling in a way that skin should definitely not ripple.

"Poke it." James said, looking fascinated at the waves passing over my shoulder.

"Oh no don't!" Contradicted Lily, sounding as disgusted as I felt.

Slowly, I lifted my right hand and gently poked the moving skin. There was a sudden, loud clicking sound and I let out a loud yell of pain, making Lily jump.

"That probably wasn't good was it?" Said Sirius, looking confused at my now, non-moving, still slightly disfigured shoulder.

Madame Pomfrey bustled over, pulling Charlie with her on a bit of bandage that was half wrapped around his hand. "Oh no Mr Black, that was quite normal for this process." She said, quickly finishing off wrapping up Charlie's hand. "I'll just re-apply the ointment and then you'll have to wait another three hours for another lot Miss Smith. You're going to have to stay with us overnight I'm afraid as the procedure will not be finished until late." She produced the jar of ointment from a trolley near the next bed over and scooped a lump out, slapping it on my shoulder, again not sparing any pain.

"Great." I replied through gritted teeth as Sirius laughed.

I hated spending any time in the hospital wing, because I hated not being able to do things for myself.

Madame Pomfrey screwed the lid back on the jar and my shoulder was once again, covered in brown muck. I guessed I couldn't do much apart from wait for the stuff to work its magic...

"You're gonna love tonight aren't you?" Remus asked, knowingly.

"Well, at least Dimitrov's not here." I pointed out, that was at least one good thing about the situation.

"Yeah," Sirius commented, "Otherwise you might as well have been sleeping in a mortuary."


	10. Just what we didn't want

**A/N – I, strangely, write this author's note as I am only a little way into the chapter today... Usually it's the last thing to be written before the chapter is published but today I need to give you a warning. Today, at least, I am in a very fluffy mood. Meaning that this chapter may come out pretty fluffy. I'm sorry already.**

**Thanks to iluvmycorgi22 for favouriting this.**

**And enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer – This is mine, Harry Potter is not. **

When I woke the next morning after an uncounted number of night visits from pain and Madame Pomfrey, Charlie was sitting at the side of my bed. He was curled up in one of the chairs with his feet up on the bed, his knees to his chest, picking apart the bandage that covered his hand.

"You know," I said, my 'tired voice' slurring my words, "This isn't exactly how I pictured it when I thought about waking up to your face."

"Blimey, it's a little bit early for that much cheese isn't it?" He replied, grinning at me. "How was the night?"

"Painful" I answered truthfully. Only when I had just been drifting off to sleep did the three hour gaps end with their stab of pain and my consistently loud shout each time, irritating a Sixth year Hufflepuff boy who was in the hospital wing for a week after being tricked into taking polyjuice potion with a parrot's tail feather in it. His plumage was remarkable, his mimicking habits were annoying. "How's your hand?"

He pulled off the bandage, "It's looking pretty mouldy now." He said, looking at the wound as though it was offending him. The cut, which had looked relatively fresh for the past four weeks had overnight turned into a greenish yellow, pus covered mess.

"Charlie, what exactly happened in that bathroom?" I asked him, now was probably the time to stop ignoring this. Yes, when I had seen this before, the wound had healed within a week. But I had gone by acting oblivious for the last four weeks. "_Exactly_." I pressed.

Charlie frowned and put his feet down so he could lean in to talk to me. "We were just about to leave The Three Broomsticks and I said I needed to go to the toilet. So you made some joke about it and then I went. After washing my hands I was just turning off the tap when I saw-" Here he stopped speaking abruptly, paused for a second and then continued, "When I cut my hand"

I frowned, "You saw what?" I asked, sitting up a bit more. My shoulder seemed to be fixed now on account of the painless movement of my left arm.

"I didn't see anything." Charlie said, looking confused, "I cut my hand."

"No," I argued, "You just said that you were turning off the tap when you saw something. But then you stopped and said that you cut your hand."

"I didn't see anything love, I promise." He repeated, sounding strangely blank to be using pet names, "I cut my hand."

"Alright," I gave in; too tired to argue "You cut your hand."

"I know." Charlie replied before his blank expression softened and he smiled. "Your hair looks nice like that." He said quietly, more to himself than to me I think. He picked up a bit of my hair from my pillow and began to play with it. Leaning close and brushing it against his face, and just twirling and running it through his long fingers.

I laid there for what seemed like ages, just watching his fascination with my hair. He seemed to have decided to try and plait some of it together, resulting in a kind of dreadlock that he was desperately trying to de-tangle without me noticing.

With a loud swishing noise, Madame Pomfrey swept up to my bedside holding a pile of clothes and a toothbrush. "Miss Smith, you can go now." She announced after she had spent some time poking and massaging my shoulder. She was right, there was a gigantic bruise. "Draw the curtains and change and you can use the sink over there to wash." She placed the clothes on the foot of my bed, "And Miss Smith," she turned back to me as she walked away, "Try and stay out of here for at least a week?"

"You've got it Ma'am" I replied, grinning at her.

She bustled out of the area, Charlie following behind her, and she closed the curtains. "Right then Mr Lawson..." I could hear her saying, "Let's clean that cut again."

I quickly changed, I had to take a guess that she had had Lily bring the clothes down. It was a very 'Lily-esque' outfit: A shirt with a flowery pattern all over it, my smart-er pair of skinny jeans. They were a dark blue colour and I had to give Lily credit for finding them... and her emerald coloured, wooly jumper that was far too big for her so it swamped me, and smelled of James... That's one I'd be bringing up with her later.

She'd also left me a pair of boots, my pair of black ankle boots that looked as though she may have attacked them with a polishing spell before bringing them down here.

I used the window as a mirror, but decided that there was really not much hope and that I would have to leave my hair curly, and stuck up on one side.

After I had cleaned my teeth, waited for Charlie to be finished and given back the hospital gown, we finally left the wing.

* * *

><p>The rest of that day passed pretty uneventfully. It was a Sunday so there was no lessons, instead we all decided to spend the afternoon sitting out on the grounds and just being generally lazy.<p>

I must admit, that after Sirius and James had done their fair bit of taking the mick out of me for apparently letting Lily dress me, although I explained to them countless times that I was in a bed, in the hospital wing, with crap on my shoulder and really had no control over Lily at all, I spent most of the day asleep, lying with my head in Charlie's lap while he played with my hair, and the rest of the group talked and laughed.

A perfectly _normal _day.

As the evening grew on us and the few clouds in the sky were tinted purple with the moving sun, there came a loud snore from the large tree we had been leaning against for the morning.  
>Sirius, James, Lily and I all turned away from the mushroom we had been magically enhancing so it now resembled something of a rather off-colour flobberworm, and looked at the source of the noise, each with equal looks of glee spreading over our faces simultaneously. Remus had fallen asleep across the protruding roots of the giant tree and was the cause of the snoring.<p>

After James had _gently_ jumped on top of Remus and shaken him awake whilst screaming at him, everything calmed down until the whole group was sitting in silence.

Now, when you are with a group of people, there are a few types of silence that you can experience. Two of these types of silence are a) The 'we're comfortable here, so comfortable in fact that we all just feel the need to sit quiet' type of silence and b) The, 'we've probably all got sunstroke because we've been sitting here all day and Peter will get pneumonia if we stay out too long because he had a 'swim' with the squid so we'll all sit here and wait for someone else to say _let's go inside_' type of silence.  
>It just so happened that the silence we were experiencing was type 'b' silence. And this didn't go down well with Sirius who sat fidgeting and ripping out handfuls of grass and dumping them in Lily's hair whilst fighting his instinct to get up and lead us all up to the castle.<p>

"Bloody hell Sirius." Lily snapped after enduring about five minutes of grass dumping. She sat up, slapped his hand away from her head and shook her beautiful mane of red hair, ridding it of the green blades.

She stood up, "Come on, let's go." She said, with the tone of a mother who had finally given in after her children had been nagging her to do something.

The sigh of relief was almost audible as the unnecessary awkwardness lifted and everyone stood up, shaking out cramps, brushing themselves and each other down and falling back over because of pins and needles.

When we all reached the entrance hall, I heard a groan from behind me and I knew exactly who would have been the owner without even turning around.

"Don't do it." Charlie quietly said into my ear, in a sing song kind of voice.

The groan had belonged to Lily. The reason for the groan was James. And the reason for James being the reason for the groan was not one of the ones he had had many a dream about, but the skinny boy standing in the hall.

"Hey Snivellus!" James shouted, before Remus could stop him.

The thin boy with shoulder length, greasy hair and a hooked nose rolled his eyes, and turned to walk away.

James, who obviously wasn't impressed, shouted again but louder this time. As though he was pretending that Snape hadn't heard him.

"Oi SNIVELLY" He yelled at the top of his lungs across the entrance hall. But the only reaction he got was a slight wince from Snape as he continued walking.

I took a breath to add a comment of my own, but found that Charlie's hand quickly clapped itself to my mouth.

Furrowing my brow and looking up at him, I saw that he was giving me a look that wasn't _asking_ me not to join in, but _telling_ me not to. I sighed and licked the palm of his hand, thanking the heavens it wasn't his cut one, and he quickly recoiled with an amused, if slightly disgusted look on his face.

I remembered back to our first _'date' _in the three broomsticks. 'Lay off Severus' He had asked. I frowned, it was kind of a default reaction to seeing the guy, just... Insult him...

"Think of Lily..." Another whisper from Charlie, he was far too logical or thoughtful or maybe just... reasonable.

"I didn't know the Slytherin bathrooms were closed?" Sirius stepped forward to join James in taunting Snape.

Snape, credit to him, continued to walk. Maybe this was this year's tactic of shaking off the Marauders. It wasn't going to work.

"That would explain the smell." James remarked, coming to a standstill a few feet in front of the group.

"Or maybe they're not closed Prongs," Sirius came back, "Maybe it's just Snivellus' apparent allergy to soap."

James had obviously had enough of being ignored. With a sharp flick of his wand and a hiss of some unintelligible word, Snape fell violently onto his face.

I had to fight down a laugh.

Not that it was unnoticed by Charlie who slowly retracted his arm from around my shoulders and crossed both of his arms in front of him, whilst giving me a look of distaste.

Great.

Snape picked himself up from the floor and turned to face us.

"I see you still haven't managed to grow up then Potter." The long haired teen snarled as he took in each member of the group one by one.

"I see you still haven't managed to get a girlfriend then Snivellus." James sneered back.

"Oh and I suppose you have?" Snape shot back at him, a smile flickering across his lips. He knew full well that James hadn't got a girlfriend, because he was _still _waiting for Lily.

James stumbled over his words, it was clear he hadn't thought about the repercussions of his comeback and now he was stuck. It was times like this when I usually stepped in to help.

So I did.

"At least James can tell a bar of soap from a block of lard." I said, stepping forward to join Sirius and James.

"I'd step back if I were you Smith." Snape snarled back at me, "Your parents wouldn't care, but I'm sure your brothers wouldn't like to see you in a fight. Oh, wait..._ brother._" He said, sarcastically.

Apart from Lily, Remus and accidentally Sirius, Severus was the only other student at Hogwarts who knew about the death of Silas.

He knew because he found out at the same time as Sirius did. Sirius happened to be half strangling Snape in a broom cupboard that I had been heading to with Remus. Not for any reason like that... Dear God no. We were looking for a specific bit of parchment which held my entire sixteen inch potions essay. Normally, losing homework wouldn't have been a big deal to me at all, but seeing as this was pretty much the first time I had _ever _completed anything in potions I needed it back.

Why the broom cupboard?

Because that was where Lily had locked me to force me into doing the essay.

Basically I had decided that that was the prime time to explain to Remus the story of Silas and both Sirius and Snape overheard...

Sirius moved forward threateningly, "You leave her brother out of this." He spat at the, now scared looking, Slytherin whilst still moving towards him. Remus obviously decided that this was enough and ran forward to prevent a fight from breaking out, like it more often than not did.

Once Sirius was restrained I stepped forward and walked right up to Snape.

"He might be dead," I said, very quietly through gritted teeth, so that he was the only person to hear, glaring up into his eyes, "But I'd rather him be that way than be like you."

With that I turned and ran up the Grand Staircase without looking back at Snape, who probably looked like his usual greasy self, without looking back at James and Sirius who were probably moaning at Remus for stopping them, without looking back at Lily who was probably trying to look as indifferent as possible and without looking back at Charlie who was definitely very pissed off.

* * *

><p>I got into the common room and kicked a bottle of butterbeer across the room. The third year who had been drinking it at the time quickly scurried off to his dormitory without a word, and most of the people in the common room looked, then turned back to their conversations.<p>

I hated that that slimy ball of grease could get to me like that. I hated that he knew it affected me. I hated that he didn't know how offensive his hygiene was.

I sat down, in the armchair by the fire, with a sketchbook and pencil that I had fetched from upstairs and began to scribble a drawing of the picture that I had seen many times on Lily's bedside table on the back cover of Alice in Wonderland. It was a picture of the inside of a deep hole, from the perspective of someone looking up to the opening. But in the walls of the hole were various house objects. A table, a teapot, a piano, a sink, the list went on.

As I drew I kept continuing the hole further and further, and as I went on I added more and more objects, a toothbrush, a hat, a mirror and all sorts of pointless things right up until someone tapped my shoulder.

"We're all up in our dormitory if you'd like to join us." Remus' soft voice said, as he gently squeezed my shoulder. "Although, I have to warn you, Sirius has the bottle out." He said, grinning at me.

I nodded and snapped the sketchbook shut and left it on the chair, it wasn't like anyone would want to steal it.

"How's Charlie?" I asked as we walked across the common room to the stairs.

Remus let out a breath of uneasy laughter, "Pissed." He said. And that was it. He hadn't been told exactly what Charlie had said to me regarding Snape, but he had guessed enough.

"Great."

* * *

><p>"Send a howler to Slughorn at breakfast declaring your love for his lessons." Sirius announced the decided dare to a dumbstruck looking Remus.<p>

"Jennie, I'm borrowing your owl tomorrow." Remus groaned as Lily reached forward to spin the empty butterbeer bottle.

Sirius' idea of a 'quiet evening' was to play a game of 'Truth or Dare' because he has the maturity level of a seven year old. His excuse for playing this game is always the same: he has added another rule – We each take it in turns to spin the bottle and give the truth/dare to whoever it lands on. The twist is that everytime we get back to the beginning we each have to take a shot of this 'mystery drink' that only Sirius knows what it is, which will definitely get us drunk knowing him.

We had already been through three cycles and the dares were getting sillier, more dangerous and, in James and Sirius' cases more... how to put it... sexual.

The bottle landed on Peter and Lily went through the steps, "Truth or Dare?" She asked him, putting on a childish voice.

Peter coughed, "Truth."

And the usual shouts of "Boring." Came from James.

James whispered in Lily's ear and she laughed, "When did you last wet the bed?" She asked Peter who looked terrified.

He whispered something which none of us heard properly and then repeated it louder, "Before summer." He squeaked, beet red.

The laughter lasted for a good five minutes before the group all stopped and profusely apologised to Peter whilst still sniggering.

Lily was the last person to spin the bottle so now it was time for Sirus to pour us all some more of his 'mystery drink'. I winced as I felt the cold, almost sour liquid running all the way down to my stomach. It's usually quite refreshing when that happens and you can feel the drink making its way down, but this wasn't. I immediately began hiccupping, and hiccupping. And again. Remus patted me on the back to try and help but it looked like I would just have to wait it out.

James grabbed the bottle while everyone put down their glasses, and spun it.

Me.

"Truth" James spoke, pausing for a huge belch, "or Dare.."

"Dare" I hiccupped, I could feel my head becoming cloudy as it usually did when I drank anything.

The group all converged together to decide on what I had to do and it seemed that they had all agreed on something. Well, Lily was giving her disapproving look but she wasn't stopping them.

"Every time you hiccup you have to lose an item of clothing." James and Sirius both announced, laughing, at the same time and my mouth fell open then clamped shut whilst I held my breath to prevent any more hiccups.

Sirius leaned forward and spun the bottle and I hiccupped as it landed on Lily.

"Truth or Dare Lily?" He asked her, grinning at James, "And Jennie, I heard you."

I took off my shoe and threw it at his head.

About two hours later my hiccups were long gone, however in the process of leaving they had resulted in me now sitting in the boys dormitory in nothing but my underwear and a vest top, my brand new bruise had been thoroughly examined and poked as soon as it reared its head...

* * *

><p>I woke up the next morning, sprawled across a bed that didn't smell like my own. It didn't feel like my own either. And what the hell was that warm thing that seemed to have hold of my foot?<p>

I propped myself up on my elbows, pulling my hair out of my face as I surveyed the disgusting mess that had become the boys dormitory. Everyone who had been playing last night was still here, plus Finley and one of the boys who had been made seeker reserve; a tall seventh year boy with long, shaggy blonde hair, worn as dreadlocks. His name was Joel. They had both arrived a little later.

The room was a total mess, everyone was spread out on the beds or the floor and the whole room stank.

James and Lily seemed to have fallen asleep pretty much sitting on each other so I thought it might be best to let them deal with that themselves. Peter's feet were the only part of his body visible as he seemed to have fallen asleep on the floor with his feet rested on his bed. Finley was curled up, actually underneath the covers of Remus' bed and Joel was spread eagled across the floor.

That left Remus and Sirius and I all on Sirius' bed. Remus had his feet right next to my head, laying the correct way up on the bed. Sirius was some way down the bed and from the locations of the boys it looked like my 'warm' foot was somewhere between Sirius' legs...

I gave my foot a sharp kick and Sirius' eyes widened immediately, a look of pain instantly spreading across his face.

I was right then.


	11. The Obvious Choice

**A/N - HOLY BALLS I ACTUALLY UPDATED**

**Ok**

**I'm sorry... Again. There's no excuse other than I'm rubbish :(**

**So without further ado I will do these (Long awaited) thank yous and stuff so thanks to - mykalahorse, BlackMoonWhiteSky, Trinityelizabethholly, Jane Callira Doe, Buzooka Zooka and BeautyWillRiseFromAllDarkness for following/favouriting and all that jazz**

**I am in the process of replying to reviews that I really should have replied to centuries ago right now - I am very very terribly sorry really**

**AlmondoftheStars - I've always kept writing I promise! I'm just really, really bad at writing with any form of regular timetable... Oops... But thank you so much! Your reviews are always appreciated very encouraging! :)**

**What else... Oh, this chapter is mostly to do with the relationship with Jennie and Charlie, but there's a little of the rest of the 'gang' sorry about that. I needed to sort out the stuff so I can move the plot on..**

**Anyway you don't care about that boring business so without further ado**

**Disclaimer - I don't own Harry Potter. Obviously.**

**read on :)**

* * *

><p>At breakfast, Sirius was still milking it for all it was worth.<p>

It had been over an hour since I had kicked him in bed and he was hobbling around overdramatically, ignoring me and just generally being a drama queen.  
>It was rather funny actually, what with absolutely nobody giving him any sympathy at all he was getting more and more frustrated.<br>I helped myself to some cornflakes as James pretended to feel sorry for Sirius whilst actually smearing butter all over his back.

"Loverboy not coming over today then?" Sirius noted with a nod to the door. Charlie was just entering the hall with a group of his friends, and while most of them paused by the doorway to say bye to him as he usually came over to sit with us at breakfast, he continued to walk to the Ravenclaw table, without so much as a glance over to our table.

"Like you care." I replied, knowingly to him, as I shoved a spoonful of cornflakes into my mouth.

Remus slid in next to me on the bench, "Told you he was pissed." He grabbed a sausage from the platter in front of me and didn't bother with the pleasantries of cutlery, instead preferring to tear the end off in his mouth.

"Pissed about what?" Lily asked, in between fanning her mouth after burning it on a cup of tea.

"Snape." I mumbled, knowing that now I had answered one question, the bombardment was on its way.

"You been running around with Snivelly?" James asked, in a mocking tone, just as Sirius discovered James' antics of the past five minutes and had taken off his butter covered jumper and was hitting him with it.

"Obviously James," Cut in Sophie, who had just arrived at the conversation along with Frank Longbottom who was trying to find Alice, and might just have saved me from a questioning, "Who would be able to resist Snape when they've got Charlie Lawson for a boyfriend?"

"What's so special about Lawson?" Sirius, who had perked up at Sophie's arrival, scowled.

"Well..." Sophie began, a smirk spreading across her face, "He's smart-"

Sirius cut across her, "We're smart." He gestured between himself, James and Remus.

"He's caring-"

"James has a hamster."

"_Had _a hamster." James interjected, bringing to memory the time that James' hamster had 'escaped' with help from Sirius, and consequently been run over by a car.

"He's sensible-"

"Remus is a prefect!"

"Not to mention _incredibly_ good looking." Sophie finished, putting extra emphasis on 'incredibly'. Her smirk was so obvious now that it was even funnier as Sirius got more and more wound up.

"_I'm_ incredibly good looking." Sirius replied, turning his tone in an instant, "And so are you. Fancy a walk?"

Eyebrows have never been raised higher.

Sophie however, let out a small laugh and shrugged. "You'll have a hard time impressing me Black, but you've got to try everything once." She stood up, as did Sirius, and the two of them walked out of the hall, with Remus calling after Sirius-

"We've got potions first, and I'm _not_ covering your arse if you're late!"

When Remus turned his head back to the table he was sporting the same bewildered, yet amused look as the rest of us.

"What just happened?" Frank asked, in a breathy tone, a spoonful of cereal balanced halfway to his mouth.

"Sirius just happened." Lily replied, fetching an overenthusiastic laugh from James.

I spooned another load of cornflakes into my mouth, coughing when Remus made a remark about James and I inhaled the milk.

"Jennie, I've left my potions book in the Dormitory" Lily announced over the sounds of a dying friend, "Come with me to get it?"

I frowned as Remus stopped slapping me on the back, "It's in your bag, next to you." I remarked, pointing to the dark blue book sticking out of the top of Lily's schoolbag.

She rolled her eyes, "Just come?" and stood up, slinging her bag over her shoulder.  
>I rolled my eyes and shoved one last spoonful of cornflakes into my mouth before standing up and pulling my satchel from underneath the table, bidding goodbye to the others, and following her out of the hall.<p>

* * *

><p>"What do you want?" I questioned Lily as she began to walk down to the dungeons. "We're not going to Potions... early... are we?" I asked, a horrified tone taking over my voice.<p>

"No, we're not." Lily laughed, "I just wanted to ask you what you meant when you said that Severus is the reason that Charlie isn't talking to you, and I figured that it might be easier for you to explain if the other morons weren't around."

I laughed slightly, and uneasily, "There's not all that much to explain," I began, perching on the ledge of an archway carved into the wall. "Basically, he asked me to lay off of Snape when we were in Hogsmeade. And I never really agreed either way, but I think he thinks that I did."

Lily's face couldn't have looked more unsurprised if she had been trying.

"And then the other day happened and now we're here." I summed up, forming an unconvincing smile.

"You shouldn't have started the other day." Lily reflected, "It opened up that gap for him to mention-" She stopped herself, "You had every right _after _that."

"Not to Charlie though," I corrected her, "He doesn't know." I have been playing with a loose thread on the cuff of my school jumper, and now have accidentally made a hole in the material.

Lily took a deep breath in and out while she seemed to be thinking, "You have to tell him some day." She said, tentatively. "I'm not saying _now_." She quickly cut in as I went to protest, "But one day, when you're ready. He has to know."

"He was using you as an example why I should be nice to Snape." I bluntly said, disregarding her previous sentence.

"Me?" Lily asked, her face flushing only slightly as she fidgeted around with her bag strap.

"Yeah, he was saying that because you like him he can't be all that bad." I explained, standing up and beginning to walk down the corridor to the dreaded lesson.

"He isn't," She said, as if to confirm a point I had made myself, "He's just misunderstood, he's actually nice."

"To you."

"Because I'm nice to him." She counteracted, "But if you treat him like crap then you're going to get the same back."

I froze, "So he had a right to make a comment like that about my brother yesterday then? A comment like that, about my _dead_ _brother_?" I asked her, my voice becoming more and more unsettled as the sentence went on. "Because I make the odd joke about his appalling hygiene?"

Lily flipped her beautiful hair over her shoulder, "You know that's not what I meant." She bit back, almost angrily.

I was about to throw another stupid retort at her when my other best friend came wobbling down the corridor, sniffing loudly and wiping his hand two and fro underneath his nose.

I tried to make myself as small as possible so that he wouldn't notice me, but obviously it didn't work.

"Ah Lily, and how is my favourite student doing today?" Slughorn asked as he saw the two of us, "Miss Smith don't touch that statue." He threw aside to me before tottering forward to converse with Lily.  
>She looked back at me with a look of desperation on her face so I laughed at her and waved goodbye, letting her be carried on towards the classroom with Slughorn. I on the other hand, have no talent in potions as was evident in a previous chapter in our story and therefore had absolutely no desire to be in the lesson any earlier than late.<p>

So I decided to wait for the others to show up, then I could always hide behind Remus as I entered the classroom.

The wait for the group to turn up, was painfully short. They came down the corridor after the normal rush of students, Remus and Stephanie deep in conversation, James trying to charm Peter's hair without him knowing, Frank and Alice arm in arm, Molly and Arthur the same and behind the lot of them Sirius and Sophie, both looking like they had just woken up.

* * *

><p>There was a great scraping of chairs on the floor as Slughorn issued the instructions for the potion we were to be making today and everyone got up to begin their work.<p>

We, today, are working with our assignment partners to practice brewing the flask of Felix Felicis which completes the final stage. Sirius and I, as per usual, have been assigned to the desk right at the back of the classroom.

Sirius slammed the cauldron down on the table and flipped open the textbook with the instructions, "Jennie," He said, almost an announcement, "We're going to die making this."

"We can't even use it," I complained, rooting around in the pile of ingredients we had been issued with, "It takes six months to stew."

"Chop these up will you?" Sirius ordered, throwing a bunch of muddy roots from the pile to me and following that, throwing a silver knife.

I seized the knife and the roots and roughly started to slice them at any angle and size I pleased. Sirius on the other hand, was not being productive in the slightest. He was winking and smirking at Sophie across the room who kept shaking her head at him as if throwing off a little boy.

"Are your balls better now then?" I asked him bluntly, and loud enough for just him to hear.

"Oh ho yes they are." He said, cockily, snapping out of his pathetic routine to Sophie and regarding my root cutting with some distaste.

"You're such a child." I commented scraping all of the cut roots into a pile, "What's next?"

"I think Sophie might disagree," He remarked, throwing the ladle up in the air to try and flip it and catch it, instead it fell on his face. He was so smooth it hurt. "And, mash this thing with the roots, then chuck it all in." With this he flicked a sort of stone at me, along with a small hammer type object.

"Actually," I replied, slamming the hammer onto the stone and watching it crumple slightly, a silvery liquid dripping from a crack. "She doesn't look all that impressed." I looked up at Sophie, who was talking to Alice while Peter struggled with some sort of plant that had him in a nipple twist.  
>Alice was obviously asking Sophie questions, and in regard to the way she kept looking over at Sirius, they were about their little exploit. Sophie was laughing, but not in an embarrassed way, more of a teasing way.<p>

"She just doesn't want to make Prewett jealous." Sirius reassured himself, swooping in and picking the pile of mashed roots up and putting them in the cauldron.

"Sophie's had _loads_ of guys Sirius." I pointed out, "Most of them alot older, and more experienced than you. I think you might have disappointed this time." I laughed slightly, but stopped at the hurt look on his face.

"Stir it four times each direction and then add some unicorn blood." He ordered flatly, using the knife to scrape a gouge in the desk.

"Oh come on Padfoot..." I nag, stepping down from the mental step I had just put myself on above him. "I'm only kidding you, I'm sure you were wonderful." I say, stirring the potion clockwise and then anti clockwise.

Sirius perked up slightly, "Keep your distance midget," he instructed, raising an eyebrow and picking up a vial of powder, "_You've_ got a man." He emptied the vial into the potion after I had added the unicorn blood and the liquid sparked slightly and became a dark shade of gold.

I rolled my eyes and stepped backwards from the potion as it suddenly began emitting waves of intense heat, bouncing off of something squishy behind me.

"Stir it seven times with the silver knife Mr Black, now!" Slughorn bellowed right in my face as I turned around.

I screwed up my eyes until he had finished and Sirius had sprung on the potion with the knife at hand.

"Alright Sir?" I blurted before I could stop myself.

"Miss Smith. Your blatant neglect of this potion damn near killed us all!" He scolded, raising his voice at the end of his sentence, chins jiggling in his rage.

I opened my mouth, exasperated. _"My, neglect?" _

Sirius stood behind me for the whole time laughing, right up until I was placed in another lunchtime detention. This time, for no reason. What so ever.

* * *

><p>It had been a week since Charlie had last spoken to me, and I had to admit, it was now getting tiresome.<p>

Surely he couldn't be _that _hung up over a small argument with Snape?

Even in Defence Against the Dark Arts, he had not made any conversation with me or responded to that which I had tried to make with him. The only words I had heard him speak were when he was jinxing or hexing me, after Professor Shiver had decided that we were to be practicing our counter attacks.

I was annoying everyone else too. Because I wasn't spending any time with Charlie I was around them 24/7 and they were getting irritated.

Lily decided to put an end to it one morning at breakfast, with the help of James and Remus.

"You're staying in there until you stop behaving like five year olds!" She called through the crack in the door before she locked it from the outside, leaving Charlie and I shut in a broom cupboard on the first floor.

"I'm _clearly_ not the one she's referring to." I remarked sarcastically, moving to the far end of the cupboard and pulling out my wand, _"Lumos" _

Charlie was still standing at the door, "You can hardly believe _I've _been described as immature?"

I raised my eyebrows, "Well lately-"

"You're the one that behaved like an arse first."

"I had reasons." I snapped back at him.

"What reasons?" He asked, face still stony.

I paused, I should tell him. "They don't matter."

"But they're enough to break a promise."

"I never-"

"Close enough."

"No, it wasn't."

There was a rapping at the door, "You two sound like you want to stay in there for a while..." Lily's voice sang through the keyhole.

We both looked at each other.

"How's your hand?" I asked, this question had been a common greeting with Charlie ever since the incident had occurred, and however annoying anyone found it when used usually, it felt like a small mercy in this situation.

"Gross." Charlie replied, lighting his own wand and holding it up to the bandage that covered his injured hand. The bandage was tinged green.

"I don't want to alarm you but that's not normal." My disgusted tone turning into a laugh as Charlie suddenly moved his hand up to my face.

"Really?" He asked, sarcastically after throwing himself across me to put his hand between the back of my head and the sharp corner of a discarded torch bracket, as I moved away from his hand.

As he straightened himself up and tried to move back his jumper got caught on a broomstick handle and consequently rose up slightly, revealing his moley skin.

He coughed slightly and tugged it back down, looking at the floor and everywhere else but at me.

And then we were kissing. And I hated him and I hated myself for giving in but it seemed that it was not enough to stop me.

Before much time had passed at all both of our jumpers and Charlie's shirt were on the stone floor and I was against the wall, my hands pulling on his hair.  
>Cold fingers began to fumble with the top buttons on my shirt and shivers ran through me at every freezing touch.<p>

And then Lily opened the door.

"There's no need to thank me." She stated smugly, before pushing the door to and walking off.

Charlie looked at me and grinned, and I shook my head and put my face into his shoulder, my own mouth grinning against his skin rather than letting him see.

I was almost dreading leaving this cupboard, not because of Charlie, but because of the smugness that would undoubtedly be coming from Lily for the rest of the day, week, month. Ever.

* * *

><p><strong>AN - So, as always, please leave me a review if you would like to. I do love hearing from you and I will always reply, even if it happens to be three months late... heh sorry...**


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